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Emanuel Smith, 60, of Cleveland, gives a perplexed look as a prosecutor explains in court Friday morning why he is charged with felony inducing panic after he made a joke about Ebola at the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland.

(Brandon Blackwell, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Bond is set at $10,000 for a Cleveland man charged with inducing panic after being accused of telling a Horseshoe Casino worker that he was gambling to avoid his Ebola-stricken ex-wife.

Hours after news broke Wednesday that a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola had visited Cleveland, Emanuel Smith, 60, told a table games dealer that he was dodging a sick ex-wife who traveled to Cleveland from West Africa, according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission.

Smith, a former Cuyahoga County employee, visited the casino by himself. He and his ex-wife do not have Ebola and have not traveled to Africa, according to local officials.

Defense attorney Kathleen DeMetz said the exchange has been blown out of proportion.

"People were having a general discussion about the current situation," she said. "He made a comment regarding his former wife who had traveled to Africa sometime in the past and that he tries to stay away from her."

Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ed Wade set Smith's bond Friday morning during a felony arraignment. Smith is also charged with criminal trespassing, accused of "entering a place of amusement to cause a disturbance," according to the casino commission. Both cases are bound over to common pleas court.

Officials said Smith spent several hours at the casino Wednesday before leaving about 5 p.m. Two hours later, the casino's surveillance office reported to the casino commission that Smith had mentioned Ebola.

Commission agents temporarily closed the casino pit where Smith gambled and reported the incident to Cleveland police, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments.

Police arrested Smith at his home about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the casino commission.

DeMetz said in court Friday that Smith retired from the Cuyahoga County Department of Information Technology. Municipal and county court records show Smith has no criminal history.

A prosecutor said Smith was losing money at the casino and that officials from multiple agencies wasted resources debunking Smith's off-color comment. The squandering of those resources is in part grounds for the felony charge, the prosecutor said.

Smith is ordered to stay away from the casino.

The county prosecutor's office said its grand jury unit is reviewing the case file.