By Toni Milbourne, The Journal
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Delegate-elect Joseph de Soto, of Berkeley County, was arrested in the early morning hours Thursday and transported to Eastern Regional Jail, where he remained awaiting arraignment.
Charges faced by de Soto include allegedly making threats of terrorist acts. He is currently listed as a pre-trial felon on the Eastern Regional Jail inmate listing. An arraignment was held Thursday with a cash bond set at $300,000.
“The arrest was made following an investigation that revealed that Mr. de Soto had made several threatening/intimidating threats against government officials,” a statement issued from the West Virginia State Police read.
A copy of the police report obtained by The Journal indicated that at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Z. Nine, with the West Virginia State Police, spoke to a complainant at the Martinsburg Detachment. The complainant told Sgt. Nine, according to the report, that she wanted to “speak about threats that have been made to kill delegates within the West Virginia State Legislature.”
