An incoming state delegate, Joseph de Soto of Berkeley County, has been arrested by State Police on allegations that he threatened other delegates.
De Soto’s arrest occurred early this morning, according to a press release from the West Virginia State Police. He was charged with making threats of terrorist acts and listed as a pre-trial felon.
A criminal complaint specified that threats were made against House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and delegates Michael Hite, Pat McGeehan, Chuck Horst and Bill Ridenour. The complaint also described threats against delegates Wayne Clark and Joe Funkhouser.
This happened after a confrontation over whether deSoto had misrepresented key aspects of his biography and after delegates questioned his fitness to serve in the upcoming legislative session. The criminal complaint alleged deSoto became very upset and said he was going to kill delegates.
“When asked what he meant by using the word ‘kill,’ he advised that God had called him to kill them,” according to an investigating officer’s narrative in the criminal complaint.
The delegate elected to represent the 91st district out of South Berkeley County is being held in the Eastern Regional Jail this afternoon on $300,000 cash bond.
DeSoto, 61, of Gerrardstown was arrested just after midnight and on Thursday appeared before Berkeley County Magistrate Darrell Shull. According to Magistrate Court records, he has been charged with one count of “threats of terrorist acts,” a felony.
“This arrest was made following an investigation that revealed Mr. de Soto had made several threatening/intimidating threats against government officials. This investigation is ongoing,” according to the statement distributed to media by the State Police.
“The West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Capitol Police take all threats against government process seriously. Any person making these threats used to intimidate, disrupt, or coerce the members of our West Virginia legislature or other governmental bodies will not be tolerated.”
De Soto was elected to serve during the next gathering of the state Legislature. He won a three-candidate Republican primary race last spring and then faced only competition from a Constitution Party candidate in the general election.
Allegations have spread over whether de Soto has been truthful about several aspects of his personal biography, including whether he is truly a professional medical doctor as well as his military service record.
This past Sunday evening, after the Republican caucus for the House of Delegates gathered to re-nominate the current speaker to remain in the leadership position, delegates who will be seated for the coming legislative session gathered in a private, closed door meeting with police officers outside the room.
Those meetings are supposed to be private, but several people have said a main topic was whether de Soto’s characterization of his own background should disqualify him from serving in the House of Delegates.
The criminal complaint detailing the arrest of de Soto specifically referenced that meeting as the event that set the events in motion.
“He was upset,” the criminal complaint stated.
Prior to deSoto’s arrest, he changed his registration from Republican to Democrat.
The House and Senate officially gavel in Jan. 8 for a one-day session to elect leaders of each chamber. The Legislature then gavels out until February to allow the new gubernatorial administration to take shape.
Members of the House of Delegates could have an official vote to remove deSoto from his office if he is sworn in. Or, if he is not sworn in, there could be a process to end his eligibility to serve.
At least two delegates have publicly described interactions with de Soto that they considered to be threatening.
Delegate Michael Hornby. R-Berkeley, posted on social media of “a credible threat on myself and a few other delegates.”
He wrote, “I received a call to relocate my family immediately as I was driving through a snow storm over an hour away from home. It has been a rollercoaster of a day but I want to thank the State Police, Capitol Police and the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department for clear crisis communications communication and direction.”
Delegate Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson, similarly posted that he was making his commute back home from Charleston when he received a phone call to tell him that he had been named in “a death threat and I have to move my family to safety.”
Clark spoke this morning with WEPM Radio and described recent events, including his worry for his family’s well-being.
“Basically the individual said ‘God told me to kill’ and mentioned my name directly,” Clark told WEPM.
“Hopefully now the individual has an opportunity to get the help he needs,” Clark said, adding that he hopes the suspect does not “approach me in another way to finish what they started. It’s kind of scary. It’s like, when does it end. Does it end?”
Reporter Marsha Chwalik of WEPM/WCST Radio (The Panhandle News Network) contributed to this story.