MARONEY

GLEN DALE — West Virginia Sen. Michael Maroney has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and indecent exposure following an alleged incident on Sunday, Aug. 4, at a Glen Dale gaming establishment.

Meanwhile, the arrest has prompted state Senate President Craig Blair to remove Maroney from a committee chairmanship, as well as the rest of his committee responsibilities.

Maroney was arraigned Tuesday in Marshall County Magistrate Court following his arrest by the Glen Dale Police Department. He was released on $3,500 bond.

Maroney’s pre-trial hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, in Marshall County Magistrate Court before Magistrate Mark Kerwood.

Glen Dale Police Chief Ed Vogler filed a complaint Tuesday in Marshall County Magistrate Court for the alleged incident. According to the complaint, two on-duty employees at Gumby’s in Glen Dale said that Maroney, who was at the establishment playing the lottery machines, allegedly had come out from the establishment’s back room to the ATM and was “breathing heavily and touching himself.”

The two employees, “unsure as to what was going on,” allegedly then observed him on closed circuit surveillance cameras touching himself after he re-entered the gambling room. One employee contacted her supervisor, who could view the CCTV video from her location, and instructed the employee to notify law enforcement. The supervisor allegedly stated to the employee, “he (Maroney) is ‘doing it right now.'”

The complaint noted that the gambling room is “not a secured area” and can be accessed by “anyone wanting to play the gaming machines.”

Vogler was dispatched to Gumby’s at approximately 1:06 p.m. Aug. 4 and, according to the complaint, found Maroney in the back room sitting in front of one of the poker machines. According to the complaint, the chief approached him and inquired what Maroney was doing, to which Maroney allegedly responded he was “playing the machine.”

Vogler advised Maroney that attendants had “witnessed him masturbating,” according to the complaint, with Maroney then allegedly “getting defensive” and stating he had not. Vogler then, according to the complaint, informed Maroney the establishment had “cameras all over” that had recorded him. Maroney denied his actions again and allegedly stated he’d “just leave” if he could “finish his current game.”

According to Vogler, Maroney finished and left the establishment. Vogler followed Maroney out to the lobby.

Vogler spoke to the on-duty employees once Maroney left. The employees showed Vogler the video of Maroney in the gaming room in which there allegedly were “numerous times where he would put his hands in his pants and begin to masturbate,” according to the complaint.

Vogler noted in the complaint that at approximately 1:04 p.m. that Sunday, it was “very evident” that Maroney was “in the act of masturbating.” Vogler said both employees appeared “shaken and upset” by what they had witnessed.

Maroney, a Marshall County Republican, was first elected to his state Senate in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He was defeated in the 2024 primary by Monongalia County resident Chris Rose, and his current term will end Dec. 31.

Following Maroney’s arrest, Blair, R-Berkeley, removed Maroney as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources and relieved him of all other committee responsibilities to “give him appropriate time to dedicate to his personal issues.”

“Above all, I am deeply concerned for our friend and colleague, Sen. Mike Maroney,” Blair said in a statement. “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.”

Blair stated, “like all citizens,” Maroney is entitled to “full due process as this matter works its way through the legal system.”

“We join in prayer for our friend Mike and his family as he deals with these issues,” Blair said. “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 could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.