Radiologist arrested for alleged lewd acts caught on video

A West Virginia radiologist was arrested last week after allegedly committing “an act of sexual gratification” in a public facility.

Mike Maroney, MD, who has served as a Republican state senator since 2016, was arrested on two misdemeanors – public nuisance and disorderly conduct – after employees at Gumby's Cigarette & Beer World in Glen Dale caught him on surveillance video committing the lewd act.

According to Marshall County District Attorney Joe Canestraro, Maroney was alone in the restaurant's video lottery room at the time of the incident.

This is not Maroney's first run-in with the law. In 2019, he was arrested for his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. He is said to have communicated with an accused prostitute on multiple occasions. Seven other men were also implicated in the allegations. After several delays in the case, the charges were finally dropped in 2021 – more than a year after his arrest.

Before the incident, Maroney served on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, but was removed from office on Wednesday. The leadership involved in the decision to remove Maroney as chairman said the move was made “to give him adequate time to attend to his personal matters.”

“Like all citizens, Senator Maroney is entitled to a fair trial as this case works its way through the legal system. We join in praying for our friend Mike and his family as he grapples with these matters,” Senate President Craig Blair, a friend of Maroney's, said in a statement on the matter. “While the allegations are still under investigation, this allegation, if true, clearly does not meet the standard of what we expect from our elected representatives in the West Virginia Senate.”

Maroney recently lost his bid for a third four-year term and is now serving his final months as a senator. If found guilty of the charges, he could spend up to a year in prison and face small fines.