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BUCKHANNON -- A former Buckhannon mayor and current City Council member is being held without bond on child pornography charges, as city officials plan to adopt a formal resolution for his impeachment and removal from office.
David Walter McCauley, 66, was arrested and indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography. Court records have confirmed that he is currently being held in Northern Regional Jail without bond. A trial date has yet to be released.
McCauley, who was the mayor of Buckhannon from 2016 to 2020, is currently serving a four-year-term in the Buckhannon City Council, a post he was elected to in 2022.
Current Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner explained the city government's stance on the matter in a statement during Thursday's City Council meeting.
"Let me be very clear: All of us within the City of Buckhannon organization do not, under any circumstances, take lightly, support, or condone in any way the acts of which Mr. McCauley has been charged. Period," Skinner said in his statement, later posted on social media. "Any notion or belief otherwise is egregiously incorrect."
Skinner said that despite calls from the public for McCauley to be immediately removed from council, specific measures have to be taken before that can be done, due to West Virginia State Code §6-6-7, "which outlines a specific procedure for the removal of public officers."
Skinner also addressed why McCauley was not removed from office in 2022, after FBI agents and representatives of the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff's Office conducted a search of McCauley's house and reportedly took items out of the home.
"Simply being under investigation is not sufficient enough to begin the process of removal from public office," Skinner said. "A motion of the sort would have likely been denied by both local and state court systems, citing an ongoing investigation with the potential result of no charges filed.
"I will note, however, that Mr. McCauley was asked to tender his resignation from City Council in November of 2022, but refused."
Skinner said McCauley's refusal to leave and continued presence on the council made everyone "uncomfortable" and "unfortunately scarred this entire organization of very good, honest and hard-working people."
Skinner announced that he will be calling a special meeting, possibly by the end of next week, in which he will ask City Council to adopt a formal resolution of impeachment and removal of office of McCauley. He said the public will be allowed to attend, and the meeting will be consistent with a normal council meeting.
The public was asked to be patient as council works on properly following the procedures for McCauley's removal, as Skinner admitted they did not know how long such a process would take.
"We will keep you updated, and should we need assistance from you, our fellow citizens, we will let you know if and how you can help," Skinner said in his statement's concluding remarks. "Our community is a family, and together, we will move forward. Thank you."
According to the federal indictment, McCauley allegedly enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production and knowingly possessed illegal images on his computer.
McCauley was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.