West Virginia delegate-elect jailed for threatening to kill Republicans

A newly elected West Virginia delegate was jailed Thursday for threatening to kill five Republican colleagues after they expelled him from their party for falsifying his resume.

The Martinsburg Detachment of the West Virginia State Police said it arrested Joseph De Soto, a medical doctor elected in November to represent District 91 in Berkeley County on the eastern side of the state, on charges of making “terroristic threats.” 

He remained in Eastern Regional Jail overnight on a $300,000 cash bond.

“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,” the West Virginia State Police said in a press release.

Huntington CBS affiliate WOWK-TV said the state police report accused Mr. De Soto, 61, of claiming God told him to kill House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and Delegates Bill Ridenour, Pat McGeehan, Michael Hite and Chuck Horst. 

The police report quoted from phone calls, emails and text messages that Mr. De Soto sent them this week after they voted to remove him from the GOP caucus for lying about his military and medical records.

“I had a vision to destroy them from the angel of Moroni,” he said in one email.

In a text message responding to someone who asked him to stop making the threats, he replied: “I did say I am going to kill people I said I am going what is necessary to put them from office.”

Because Mr. De Soto reportedly switched to the Democratic Party just before making the threats, WOWK-TV said it remains unclear which party will control the seat after he’s sworn into the state Legislature next month. The delegates are expected to remove him swiftly from office.

In November’s election, Mr. De Soto easily defeated Constitution Party candidate Rick Thoman. The Democrats did not field a candidate for the district, which includes part of the rural Shenandoah Valley.

“The Republican Party may contest that and say he was elected as a Republican, and so it should be a Republican, so I am sure there is going to be some litigation,” said Tom Susman, political analyst for WMOV Radio. “If he does come in as a Democrat, then that means that the Democrats in the caucus can now demand roll call votes, whereas with only nine, they couldn’t demand roll call votes.”

In separate statements, the two parties condemned the threats.

“Violence and intimidation have no place in our government or our democracy,” said Mike Pushkin, chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party. “Public service is about resolving differences through dialogue, not threats. We trust that law enforcement will conduct a thorough investigation, and we hope for a swift resolution that prioritizes the safety and well-being of all involved.”

“Our elected officials sacrifice a lot to serve their communities, and it is a travesty for anyone to face the additional burden of threats made against themselves and their families,” West Virginia Republican Chairman Matt Herridge said. “The West Virginia Republican Party supports our House leadership and their expulsion efforts. We disavow and condemn the behavior of the former Republican delegate-elect and continue to thank all those who are willing to serve their communities and state, in spite of the serious challenges it too often poses.”