CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two West Virginia Family Court judges are now facing charges after conspiring to help embattled former Family Court Judge Louise Goldston avoid prosecution after she illegally searched a man’s home during a divorce hearing on March 4, 2020.
Following her announcement, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw released a statement stating that the House would no longer take any further action on the impeachment resolution.
Goldston was previously censured and fined by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in November of 2021 for her actions.
The judges in question, the Honorable Deanna R. Rock and Glen R. Stotler are both West Virginia Family Court Judges of the 23rd Family Court Circuit which covers Mineral, Morgan, and Hampshire Counties in the eastern panhandle.
Both are facing charges after working together to assist Judge Goldston in avoiding prosecution.
Judge Stotler, who serves as the Family Court Member on the Judicial Hearing Board, testified under oath to the Judicial Investigation Commission that he was the sole drafter of a letter that was sent to then Chief Justice of the WV Supreme Court Evan Jenkins on March 25, 2021.
In the letter, Judge Stotler wrote that the Supreme Court should fire the prosecutors on the Judicial Disciplinary Council along with Family Court Judge Erick Shuck of the 13th Family Court Circuit for their poor treatment of Judge Goldston. Judge Stotler continued the letter by stating that Goldston was essentially forced into making agreements during questioning by intimidation and deception.
The Office of Disciplinary Council investigated these allegations and proved them to be false.
Both Judge Stotler and Judge Rock testified under oath that Stotler was the only one that had a part in the drafting of the March 2021 letter. After further investigation, the JIC found meta-data that proved the opposite.
According to the Statement of Charges from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, Judge Stotler’s Family Court Coordinator, J.R. Campbell constructed the first draft of the letter. After the initial draft, both Judge Stotler and Judge Rock did in fact work together on crafting the letter as they emailed it back and forth making edits and corrections.
As a result, Stotler and Rock were formally charged in November of last year for their actions. A hearing in the Stotler case has not been scheduled and the matter is still pending before the Judicial Hearing Board. A hearing is scheduled for the Rock case before the Judicial Hearing Board in March.
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