Senator Maroney was arrested and asked to resign

State Sen. Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, was arrested Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence. This is his third arrest since he began his term as a state senator in 2016. His other arrests included soliciting a prostitute and indecent exposure.

Now the Monongalia County GOP has called on him to resign. Maroney County includes nine counties: Marshall, Monongalia, Wetzel, Marion, Tyler, Doddridge, Ritchie, Gilmer and Calhoun.

Ethan Moore is the county party chairman. He says Maroney no longer represents his district's values.

“We believe we deserve representation that represents our goals and values,” Moore said. “The actions Senator Maroney has taken here recently and the issues that led to him being arrested on allegations are, in our opinion, inconsistent with the values ​​and goals of our community and our constituents.”

He says absenteeism was also a problem for the senator. Maroney was absent during the May special session and all interim sessions since.

In a message to the senator, he said he hoped he was feeling better.

“Take care of yourself, get your life in order and focus on recovery and making sure you live a life worth living,” Moore said.

Moore is asking the governor to give Senate leadership the opportunity to remove Maroney from office if he does not resign. After his latest arrest, Maroney was removed from all of his committee assignments, including the Health Committee, which he chaired.

Maroney lost his primary in May and his term ends in January.

Maroney made headlines last regular session for trying to block a bill that would roll back vaccination requirements for schoolchildren in the state. The bill eventually passed the Legislature and then was vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice.