Man jailed after threatening Kanawha County delegate

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A man was arrested after a bizarre episode in which police said he called a Charleston doctor and made threats about her cousin Doug Skaff’s political intentions.

Charleston police said John Curtis Dawson called the Kanawha City dermatology office of Dr. Leanne Skaff last Friday. The doctor is a distant cousin of Kanawha County Delegate Doug Skaff.

Police said Dawson called the office yelling about Doug Skaff running for governor and said he would not allow that to happen. Police said Dawson threatened to bring a .22 caliber gun to the office and specifically threatened an employee.

As a result of the threats, Leanne Skaff’s office was placed on lockdown until police arrested Dawson. He has been charged with threats of terrorist acts.

Though Doug Skaff has not commented publicly about running for governor, he plans to run for state Senate next year.

Doug Skaff said in a news release that he was out of town at the time of the threats and was unaware of the incident.

“I feel for all those directly affected by this threat, and my concern is for the safety of Leanne Skaff and her employees,” stated Doug Skaff in the release. “However, most importantly, we need to make sure this person receives proper help and treatment before he returns into our community.”

Dawson was in the South Central Regional Jail as of Monday night.