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Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
A West Virginia senator has been removed from his committee assignments after he was arrested earlier this month on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.
“Above all, I am deeply concerned for our friend and colleague, Sen. Mike Maroney,” West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair said in a statement Wednesday morning. “The facts that have emerged are troubling, and I am disappointed. However, in this time, our primary focus is on the well-being of Sen. Maroney.”
The alleged incident happened around 1 p.m. Aug. 4. According to a criminal complaint filed in Marshall County Magistrate Court, employees of Gumby’s in Glen Dale, West Virginia, called the police to report a person masturbating in a gaming room. Employees observed him on security cameras. When a police officer approached him, Maroney denied the act and left the establishment.
The incident was earlier reported by the Wheeling Intelligencer.
“Like all citizens, Sen. Maroney is entitled to full due process as this matter works its way through the legal system,” Blair said in the statement. “We join in prayer for our friend Mike and his family as he deals with these issues. While the charges are still under investigation, if true, this allegation is obviously not up to the standard of what we expect from our elected leaders in the State Senate of West Virginia.”
Maroney, 56, a Marshall County Republican and physician, had been the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources.
He was first elected to the Senate in 2016 and reelected in 2020. Maroney was defeated by opponent Chris Rose during the May primary election.
Maroney did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com. Follow West Virginia Watch on Facebook and X.
