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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The chair of a key West Virginia state legislative committee was faraway from his position by chamber management Wednesday after being charged with indecent publicity and disorderly conduct.
Republican Sen. Mike Maroney, who led the state Senate Well being and Human Assets Committee, was arrested Tuesday on the 2 misdemeanors after an Aug. 4 incident at Gumby’s Cigarette & Beer World in Glen Dale.
Marshall County Prosecuting Lawyer Joe Canestraro stated workers on surveillance video allegedly noticed Maroney “committing an act of sexual gratification” about 1 p.m. within the institution’s video lottery room. Maroney was the one particular person within the room on the time, in accordance with Canestraro.
The Gumby’s workers then referred to as the Glen Dale Police Division.
Maroney, who has served within the state senate since 2016, did not instantly reply to an e-mail request for remark Wednesday.
Senate President Craig Blair, a Republican, stated he was stripping Maroney of his title as Well being and Human Assets chair and all different committee obligations “to present him applicable time to dedicate to his private points.”
In an announcement, Blair stated he’s “deeply involved” concerning the well-being of Maroney, whom Blair known as a pal.
“The info which have emerged are troubling, and I’m disenchanted,” Blair stated, including later: “Whereas the fees are nonetheless underneath investigation, if true, this allegation is clearly less than the usual of what we anticipate from our elected leaders within the State Senate of West Virginia.”
Maroney, 56, has just a few months left to serve of his second four-year time period as a state senator. He ran for reelection however was defeated within the Could major by challenger Chris Rose, a utility firm electrician and former coal miner.
Maroney’s loss got here after he publicly advocated towards a invoice pushed by the Republican caucus that may have allowed some college students who don’t attend conventional public establishments or take part in group extracurriculars like sports activities to be exempt from vaccinations sometimes required for youngsters beginning day care or college.
West Virginia is one in all solely a handful of states within the U.S. that gives solely medical exemptions to vaccine necessities. Maroney, a radiologist from Marshall County, referred to as the invoice “a humiliation” on the Senate ground and stated he believed lawmakers had been harming the state.
Through the debate about this yr’s vaccine invoice, which was finally vetoed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice, Maroney stated: “I took an oath to do no hurt. There’s zero probability I can vote for this invoice.”
Maroney additionally misplaced favor with some Republicans final yr when he spoke towards a complete ban on medical interventions for transgender adolescents, like puberty blockers and hormone remedy. Throughout one assembly of his committee, he informed fellow lawmakers he believed it was improper for a bunch of “principally medically uneducated folks” to move legal guidelines that may prohibit confirmed medical remedies.
Maroney likened banning hormone remedy to barring the usage of medicine to deal with psychological well being problems and most cancers.
If discovered responsible of disorderly conduct, Maroney may face a penalty of 24 hours in jail, as much as a $100 high-quality, or each. For indecent publicity, he may withstand a yr in jail, $500 in fines, or each.
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