West Virginia senator removed as committee chair after indecent exposure charges

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The chair of a key West Virginia state legislative committee was removed from his position by chamber leadership Wednesday after being charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

Republican Sen. Mike Maroney, who led the state Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, was arrested Tuesday on the two misdemeanors after an Aug. 4 incident at Gumby’s Cigarette & Beer World in Glen Dale.

Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Canestraro said employees on surveillance video allegedly saw Maroney “committing an act of sexual gratification” about 1 p.m. in the establishment’s video lottery room. Maroney was the only person in the room at the time, according to Canestraro.

The Gumby’s employees then called the Glen Dale Police Department.

Maroney, who has served in the state senate since 2016, didn’t immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday.

Senate President Craig Blair, a Republican, said he was stripping Maroney of his title as Health and Human Resources chair and all other committee responsibilities “to give him appropriate time to dedicate to his personal issues.”

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