CHARLES TOWN, W.V. – A West Virginia state delegate-elect was arrested on Thursday after allegedly threatening to kill multiple lawmakers, according to reports.
Del.-elect Joseph de Soto, a medical doctor from Gerrardstown, was accused of making terroristic threats after being informed he would be dropped from his GOP caucus position.
According to reports, de Soto was upset about being told to step down and threatened several other delegates, including the Speaker of the House. He allegedly wrote in an email that he was “upset only with the Eastern Panhandle delegates” and “I have only begun… and won’t stop.”
De Soto was booked in state jail records as a “pretrial felon” for making terroristic threats. He told authorities that he had a vision from the Mormon Angel of Moroni to “destroy” several fellow lawmakers and claimed to have been told by God to kill another.
The delegate-elect had been elected as a Republican in the 91st District, which includes the suburbs of Martinsburg. However, he had reportedly filed to change his affiliation to Democratic just before his arrest.
The incident has sparked concerns about the safety of lawmakers and their families, with one affected delegate saying he received a call telling him to relocate his family due to a threat. Democratic Party chair Del. Mike Pushkin called the allegations “deeply serious” and said they should be treated with the “full weight of the law.”
The West Virginia Republican Party disavowed de Soto’s behavior, calling it a “travesty” that no one should face threats made against themselves and their families.
