Republican State Sen. Mike Maroney accused of exposing himself at gambling hall
He stripped down — and was stripped of his duties.
An outgoing West Virginia state senator was removed from his committee positions after he was accused of indecent exposure at a gambling parlor, officials said.
Sen. Mike Maroney (R-Marshall) was arrested Tuesday evening on misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure and disorderly conduct in connection to the alleged incident earlier this month, authorities said.
On Aug. 4, police in Glen Dale received a call from two female employees at Gumby’s Cigarette & Beer World who reported a man “committing an act of sexual gratification” in the hall’s video lottery room, Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Canestraro said.
Maroney, 56, was alone in the lottery room when the employees spotted him on surveillance footage, Canestraro explained.
The state senator was arraigned and released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond Tuesday night, 7News reported.
West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair announced Wednesday that he was stripping Maroney of his role as Health and Human Resources Committee chair and all other committee positions to “give him appropriate time to dedicate to his personal issues.”
Blair said he was “deeply concerned” for Maroney, whom he described as a friend.
“The facts that have emerged are troubling, and I am disappointed,” Blair’s statement read.
“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,” he added.
Maroney is just a few months away from the end of his second four-year term in the state senate.
The diagnostic radiologist was defeated in the May primary by Chris Rose, an electrician and former coal miner.
Tuesday’s arrest was also not his first brush with the law: Maroney was charged with solicitation in 2019 based on allegations that he texted with a sex worker to arrange prices and meeting times for an illicit rendezvous.
He pleaded not guilty, and the case was continued four times before the charge was dismissed in March 2021.
If Maroney is found guilty of disorderly conduct, he could face up to 24 hours in jail and a fine of up to $100.
An indecent exposure conviction carries the threat of up to a year behind bars and $500 in fines.
Maroney did not respond to The Post’s request for a comment Thursday.
With Post wires
