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CHARLESTON GAZETTE MAIL - A Logan County assistant prosecuting attorney has been suspended indefinitely after a bizarre incident involving a pistol and fake spiders.
According to Logan County Prosecutor John Bennett, assistant prosecutor Chris White was suspended on Wednesday due to an alleged incident that happened in early October.
White has been with the office for more than five years, according to Bennett.
"I never saw it coming, that's for sure. Obviously, I wouldn't have even hired him if I had seen it coming. And the fact that he's been there five years and we haven't had any incidents like this also, to me, is a pretty good indication it's certainly out of the ordinary," Bennett said.
The alleged incident happened on October 5th after several secretaries in the office decorated for Halloween. The decorations included many fake spiders that were throughout the office. Apparently, White has arachnophobia and became irate over the decorations.
"He said they had spiders everyplace and he said he told them it wasn't funny, and he couldn't stand them, and he did indeed get a gun out. It had no clip in it, of course they wouldn't know that, I wouldn't either if I looked at it, to tell you the truth," Bennett explained.
Bennett says it's his understanding that White didn't point the gun at anyone or wave it around but did threaten to shoot all of the spiders. Bennett says the incident caused quite the scare for the three secretaries that witnessed it.
"Quite naturally, the ladies were concerned, as I would have been. Anybody would be, I would think, with a gun no matter where it was," Bennett said.
Shortly after the incident, Bennett says he sent a memo banning firearms from the office with the exception of the gun their investigator carries.
Logan County Chief Deputy M.A. Mays tells Eyewitness News he has seen surveillance video of the incident and is continuing to question several people.
Mays confirms there is an open criminal investigation, but says it's not concluded. Mays said he "didn't anticipate" charges being filed, but said that could change depending on the outcome of more interviews. | 
