Buckhannon Council member appointed after McCauley’s resignation
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BUCKHANNON -- Buckhannon City Council has selected a new cmember to fill the vacancy left by a former Buckhannon mayor and council member who resigned after being arrested and charged on child pornography charges.
Scott Randall was appointed to the Buckhannon City Council on Nov. 7, having been selected by the council after applying for the position.
"Mr. Randall was born and raised in Buckhannon and states that his family has taught him a strong sense of community and service," A City of Buckhannon social media post on Nov. 7 stated.
Randall has been serving on the Buckhannon City Waste Board since 2020, and was appointed to the Upshur County Solid Waste Authority Board and later joined the City of Buckhannon's Revenue Review Committee in 2022.
"This has kept him informed on the inner workings of the city and the many issues that the Council is facing," the city's post stated. "Scott Randall has been a professional land agent for over 12 years, negotiating agreements and damage payments and resolving issues with multiple affected parties."
Randall ran in the most recent city council election and, according to the city's post, came within "just a few votes" of claiming one of the three open seats.
Randall will serve on the council until June 20, 2026.
The appointment comes off the heels of David Walter McCauley resigning from his position in the council on Oct. 8 after being arrested and indicted on Oct. 2 by a federal grand jury on two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography.
McCauley, who was the mayor of Buckhannon from 2016 to 2020, was serving a four-year-term in the Buckhannon City Council, a post he was elected to in 2022. Court records have confirmed that he is currently being held in Northern Regional Jail without bond.
The announcement of his resignation was made on the City of Buckhannon's Facebook account on Oct. 8: "Good evening. This afternoon, David McCauley submitted his resignation from Buckhannon City Council effective immediately," the post read. "Mayor Robbie Skinner has accepted his resignation on behalf of the Council, and City of Buckhannon."
The indictment against McCauley alleges he enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production and that McCauley knowingly possessed illegal images on his computer.
"As alleged, David McCauley produced child pornography involving a juvenile boy on multiple occasions," U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld said in a press release on Oct. 2. "Those who prey upon and exploit our youth will be held accountable, no matter their status in the community."
McCauley faces at least 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for each of the production charges and up to 10 years on the possession charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.