CHARLESTON – The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has suspended the former Braxton County prosecuting attorney’s law license for three years.
The Supreme Court ordered the suspension on Aug. 30 of Kelly Hamon McLaughlin.
Earlier this year, McLaughlin resigned as prosecutor after allegations surfaced that she had mishandled sexual abuse allegations against her father-in-law. She agreed to resign in March, give up her law license for three years and never run for prosecutor again.
On May 30, the Hearing Panel Subcommittee of the Lawyer Disciplinary Board presented the written recommendation to the court. On June 2, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, filed its consent to the recommendation.
Valgene McLaughlin allegedly groped an 11-year-old girl while she was swimming in his pool in July 2013.
Kelly Hamon McLaughlin did not disclose that she was related to the McLaughlin. She also later said the case had been handed off to prosecutors in another county to be dealt with. However, it had not and no documents had been filed to ask for a different prosecutor.
