CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The director of West Virginia’s Division of Natural Resources has been charged with assaulting his ex-wife at her Florida home.
The woman told police she feared Stephen S. McDaniel was going to kill her during an argument in early April.
McDaniel has agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program for the April 6 incident.
McDaniel was charged in St. John’s County, Florida, with misdemeanor battery.
The governor’s general counsel Brian Abraham said Friday that McDaniel later met with Gov. Jim Justice. Abraham says McDaniel “offered to resign to the governor, and the governor didn’t feel that was necessary based on the way events were explained to our office.”
McDaniel entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, in which he neither declared his innocence nor pleaded guilty to the charge.
