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West Virginia DOC Commissioner Resigns After Beating Wife
On March 10, 1999, West Virginia Department of Corrections commissioner Bill Davis resigned his position "effective immediately." Davis cited "personal reasons" for resigning.
The "personal reasons" in question is Davis's arrest on spousal abuse charges. On March 5, 1999, Davis's estranged wife Angela called police to report that Davis had entered her home "smacked her in the mouth, gave her a busted lip, tore her clothes and threw her to the floor," said Putnam County sheriffs department sergeant R.E. Harrison.
Davis was charged with domestic assault and domestic battery and released on $1,500 bail. Putnam county magistrate Brian Wood ordered Davis to have no contact with his wife or their two children. Davis faces up to six months in jail and a $100 fine if convicted of the assault charge and 12 months in jail and a $500 fine if convicted on the battery charge.
This was the fourth domestic violence call to police from the Davis home in recent months. It was the first time an arrest had been made.
As corrections commissioner Davis oversaw the West Virginia prison system with 3,000 prisoners and was a member of the state's parole board. He had worked previously as a prison guard, a parole officer and a military policeman.
Public safety commissioner Otis Cox said he would seek a replacement for Davis. Cox said he would be looking "for people like Bill .... He was doing things that had never been done before in West Virginia."
Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail
The "personal reasons" in question is Davis's arrest on spousal abuse charges. On March 5, 1999, Davis's estranged wife Angela called police to report that Davis had entered her home "smacked her in the mouth, gave her a busted lip, tore her clothes and threw her to the floor," said Putnam County sheriffs department sergeant R.E. Harrison.
Davis was charged with domestic assault and domestic battery and released on $1,500 bail. Putnam county magistrate Brian Wood ordered Davis to have no contact with his wife or their two children. Davis faces up to six months in jail and a $100 fine if convicted of the assault charge and 12 months in jail and a $500 fine if convicted on the battery charge.
This was the fourth domestic violence call to police from the Davis home in recent months. It was the first time an arrest had been made.
As corrections commissioner Davis oversaw the West Virginia prison system with 3,000 prisoners and was a member of the state's parole board. He had worked previously as a prison guard, a parole officer and a military policeman.
Public safety commissioner Otis Cox said he would seek a replacement for Davis. Cox said he would be looking "for people like Bill .... He was doing things that had never been done before in West Virginia."
Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail
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