IN CHARLESTON, W.VA. – A West Virginia state lawmaker who was just elected is being charged with at least one crime and is accused of making terroristic threats.
Based on an investigation, 61-year-old Joseph de Soto was arrested in Martinsburg on Thursday. Lt. Leslie T. Goldie Jr. of the West Virginia State Police said that de Soto had made “several threatening/intimidating threats against government officials.” The lieutenant didn’t say anything specific about the threats or say who they were aimed at.
De Soto won his first term in the West Virginia House as a Republican in November, serving part of Berkeley County in the eastern panhandle of the state. He got 72% of the vote in the general election, beating two other Republicans in the primary election in May.
De Soto did not answer the phone right away Thursday when asked for comment. A clerk at the Berkeley County Magistrate Court said that de Soto had not yet been set for arraignment as of Thursday. State cops said the case is still being looked into.
Goldie Jr. said, “The West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Capitol Police pay close attention to all threats against the government.” “Anyone using these threats to scare, bother, or force members of the West Virginia legislature or other government bodies will not be allowed to do so.”
De Soto could get a $25,000 fine and three years in jail if he is found guilty.
