An innocent plea was entered this morning for a state official charged in last month’s balloon-popping and shoving incident at the State Capitol. 56-year-old Ronald Blair stood mute while Dane County Court Commissioner Ann Sayles entered an innocent plea to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon. A judge and attorneys will meet on September ninth to discuss a possible settlement in the case. For now, Blair is free on a signature bond – and he’s not allowed to carry dangerous weapons on the job. Blair, the assistant director of state facilities, is accused of popping Leslie Peterson’s balloon with a multi-tool blade, and then shoving her into a restroom after she chased him down a stairway. It happened July 25th while Peterson was taking part in the daily sing-along at the Capitol by protestors upset with the new law which limits public union bargaining. According to prosecutors, Blair claimed he was a Capitol police officer and told Peterson he was tired of retrieving balloons from the building. The heart-shaped balloons have become a symbol of the union protests over the past few months. The criminal complaint said Blair didn’t intend to start the incident – but he snapped, and said it just happened.