CHARLESTON — Gilmer County Magistrate Alton Skinner II, who was suspended several months ago following charges of obstruction of justice and fraud, has resigned from his magistrate position.
Skinner's resignation was effective at the end of the day on Oct. 25. He has been suspended since May 8 without pay due to the federal indictment against him. Senior Status Magistrate Teresa Robinson is currently serving temporarily in his place.
In his resignation letter, Skinner said he was resigning pursuant to an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Chief Judge Richard A. Facemire, who serves the 14th Judicial District, will appoint a permanent replacement for Skinner soon.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh approved a non-prosecution agreement in the case against Skinner and Roger D. Clem Jr., who is a Lewis County magistrate.
Under the terms of the agreement, the magistrates will not serve time in jail, but they each must pay a $1,000 fine, agree to never seek office again and resign from their magistrate positions, according to the court documents.
In the government's motion to dismiss, which was filed Oct. 21 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, the agreements lay out that Clem and Skinner had seven days to resign.
"The undersigned has consulted with defense counsel, who indicate no objection to the instant motion," the motion stated. "In addition, the parties agree that this motion is motivated exclusively by the good faith resolution outlined in the non-prosecution agreements."
Earlier this month, Kleeh had scheduled trials for Skinner and Clem for February.
Clem and Skinner were charged back in May with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; two counts of wire fraud; and two counts of mail fraud. Clem was also charged with one count of obstruction of justice while Skinner was also individually charged with one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.
The magistrates are accused of arranging bonds of detainees through a company owned by Skinner's spouse that employs his son. The company, E-Z Out, is an authorized bonding agent.
