PLAUGHER

ELKINS — A Randolph County man faced a felony charge after allegedly failing to update his sex offender registry in time.

David Lee Plaugher, 63, is charged with one count of failure to register as a sex offender, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Trooper Thomas J. Sclimenti with the West Virginia State Police, on May 4, Sclimenti performed an annual sex offender registration for Plaugher.

When asked to the accuracy of the vehicles on his register, Plaugher allegedly told Sclimenti to take a vehicle off from his register that belonged to another man who resided with Plaugher, the complaint states. Plaugher alleged stated that the vehicle had been repossessed the day prior.

Sclimenti contacted Randolph County 911 and multiple towing agencies in the county, who all stated they had no knowledge of a repossession on May 3, the complaint states. Sclimenti also performed a verification at Plaugher’s residence and spoke to the other man in the house, who said Plaugher was upstairs. Plaugher came to the door and allegedly informed Sclimenti that he was unsure who they had the loan through or what company towed the vehicle, but they had come at approximately 2 p.m. on May 3. Sclimenti confirmed through DMV records that the license plate associated with the vehicle expired in 2023 was terminated. The title to the vehicle was also terminated on November 11, 2025, and issued to Wesbanco on the same date. The title was then once again terminated on December 5, 2025, in Virginia.

When Sclimenti located a registered owner of the vehicle in Virginia, he made contact with her, the complaint states. She told Sclimenti that she had purchased the vehicle from Peruvian Motors LLC in Culpepper, Virginia, but returned it shortly after due to mechanical issues.

“The time span between (Plaugher) relinquishing possession of the vehicle and updating (his) registry exceed the allowable number of days, placing (Plaugher) in violation of the Sex Offender Registry Act,” Sclimenti wrote in the complaint.