Today there was an article in the Charleston Gazette about the Mark Plants mess in Kanawha County.

On Wednesday, Judge Duke Bloom barred Prosecutor Mark Plants’ office from handling cases involving child abuse and neglect, violent crimes against children by their parent, guardian or custodian and criminal violations of protective orders . . . .

The ruling is in response to a petition from the city of Charleston asking that Plants be disqualified from hearing cases brought by the Charleston Police Department.

Lawyers with the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a petition with the state Supreme Court asking that Plants be immediately suspended or disqualified from prosecuting domestic-violence cases involving parents and minor children. The ODC’s petition said Plants’ belief that the allegations against him aren’t a crime creates a conflict of interest for his office. The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 5.

So you have a city applying to a judge to disqualify the elected prosecutor from hearing certain cases, based on pending criminal charges.  Domestic violence accusations pop up from time to time in the personal lives of police officers.  The MO, in my experience, is that they are disarmed and given a desk job until the situation is resolved.  I wonder if the employer, e.g., the City of XYZ, has ever sought to protect the rights of the alleged victims/accusers in domestic violence cases where the investigating officers have had their own history of accusations?  And do they have standing to even have a say in the matter?  After all, the county prosecutor is a position elected by the citizens of the county.  Also, what about all the people who have previously been prosecuted for these types of crimes by Mr. Plants, or his office?  Do they now have some right to have their case reopened, or thrown out?