Mar. 23—Brian Abraham, Gov. Jim Justice's Chief of Staff, has disputed claims made by Jan Cahill, former superintendent of the West Virginia State Police, regarding his actions on handling a theft by a state trooper.

Cahill said during a recent interview on the MetroNews "Talkline" show that he was a "scapegoat" in the WSVP investigation that resulted in Cahill's resignation Monday.

Cahill said he could not have immediately fired the trooper because of state workplace regulations. "It doesn't matter how egregious an act a person does right in front of us. All we could do is put someone on administrative leave, perhaps without pay, during an investigation," he said.

The trooper abruptly retired, Cahill said. "I cannot prevent someone from retiring."

The incident took place in a casino in Charleston when a man playing video poker left an envelope in his seat when he left the machine temporarily.

As shown on a video, a state trooper took the envelope, which contained more than $750 in cash, an act that Justice called a theft.

But the trooper was allowed to retire and was not charged with anything.

During Gov. Jim Justice's administration briefing Wednesday, Abraham said Cahill's statements on "Talkline" were not accurate.

"Perhaps he did not understand the roles and responsibilities associated with being the superintendent of the State Police," Abraham said. "He did have the authority to terminate the trooper ... They can appeal, but they can be fired on the spot (for egregious conduct). That authority is vested in the superintendent."

Abraham also said that Cahill could have stopped the trooper's retirement as well, but he failed to do so.

The statute of limitations on the theft have expired because it is legally classified as petit larceny, he said.

"It appears this was on its way to a whitewash," he said.

Another incident that involved a video in the womens' locker room at the State Police headquarters several years ago should also have been investigated when Cahill learned about it in 2020, he added.

Three state troopers found a "thumb drive" that included the video in and one allegedly immediately destroyed the thumb drive.

Although Cahill did not learn about this until 2020, he should have investigated it but did not, Abraham said.

An investigation into the WVSP began last month after anonymous letters were sent out relating the video, the casino theft and other allegations.

Justice received the report from that investigation Friday and met with Cahill Monday morning, telling him he saw "no pathway" for Cahill to stay on as superintendent.

Justice also appointed an interim superintendent, Capitol Police deputy Jack Chambers, and ordered him to continue with the investigations, along with the state Homeland Security and federal authorities.

"Some real live mistakes were made," Justice said Wednesday, agreeing with Abraham that Cahill's justifications for his actions hold no "credence."

Chambers also spoke on Wednesday.

"I am going to look at every position appointed in the State Police and evaluate those," he said of his staff. "It will take time..."

Chambers also said he is revisiting the investigations and everything will be looked into and addressed.

"We have a great bunch of people in the West Virginia State Police," he said. "We do a lot of good things."

The full results of the initial investigation were not released and now most of the allegations will be investigated once more.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com