Charleston, W.Va. (The Hinton News) – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner announced that Cabell County residents Jan Hite King and Kimberly Maynard have been convicted of one count each of False Swearing in connection with violations of West Virginia election law.
The convictions stem from actions taken during the 2022 Primary Election cycle, when King and Maynard knowingly submitted false information on their Certificates of Announcement when declaring their candidacies for public office. They certified that they resided in jurisdictions where they did not live, a requirement for eligibility to seek the offices for which they filed.
“Long gone are the days that election shenanigans go unpunished. My Office will spare no expense seeking prosecution of all those who attempt to cheat the system,” said Secretary of State Kris Warner. “Even the most minimal infractions can siphon votes from legitimate candidates and disenfranchise every voter who casts a vote for an ineligible candidate.”
“This is a huge win for election integrity, and a lesson to those who think they can game the system,” Warner continued. “I applaud Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Seth Gaskins for securing these convictions, the Cabell County Board of Ballot Commissioners for removing these ineligible individuals from the ballot, and the diligence of my investigations team including Investigations Division Director Kim Mason, General Counsel Dave Cook, and former Attorney General Lead Investigator Robert Hanson.”
A Cabell County grand jury indicted King and Maynard in 2025 on criminal charges related to the false filings. The case was subsequently dismissed by the circuit court based on a determination that the one-year statute of limitations for misdemeanors applied to the alleged offenses.
The State challenged that ruling, and in 2026, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia granted the State’s petition for a writ of prohibition, holding that the five-year statute of limitations applicable to election crimes governs such offenses, including misdemeanors. Following the Court’s decision, Prosecutor Gaskins successfully reinstated the case, which was decided by a Cabell County jury today, September 16, 2026.
“I was proud to serve on a case of such importance to the integrity of our election system,” said Prosecutor Gaskins. “Let this be a deterrent to all those who seek to undermine our institutions.”
W.Va. Code §3-9-3(b) states that each violation under the indictment carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine not exceeding $1,000.
King and Maynard will be sentenced on October 23, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
