CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants has been charged with allegedly violating a domestic protective order . Plants was arraigned Tuesday morning on the misdemeanor in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
Plants’ ex-wife Allison Plants was granted the protective order last month after she filed a complaint with State Police claiming her former husband had been excessive in disciplining one of their children.
Prosecutor Plants said he saw his children in a parking lot Monday night.
“I walked out of Fruth Pharmacy last night, my kids were unattended in a dark parking lot and I stood with them until my ex-wife came to the vehicle. That’s all I can say, I can’t elaborate on the facts,” Plants said.
The criminal complaint said Plants questioned his ex-wife about who was babysitting the children while she was at work. Allison Plants told State Police she was scared of her ex-husband.
Plants was released on $2,000 personal recognizance bond.
Shortly after Allison Plants made the allegations of child abuse against her ex-husband Prosecutor Plants held a brief news conference and said he and his ex-wife had agreed to spank their children at times during their marriage.
The alleged abuse case is being investigated by the Crimes Against Children Unit of the State Police based in Wheeling. The state Supreme Court appointed Mercer County Circuit Judge Derek Swope as the special judge in the case. Swope appointed former McDowell County Prosecutor Sid Bell as the special prosecutor in the case last week.