Three weeks after his criminal charges became public, the man overseeing the West Virginia Department of Education's child-feeding programs has resigned from his position.
Richard Goff, executive director of the state Office of Child Nutrition, was charged with battery, domestic battery and driving under the influence, according to a criminal complaint filed in Putnam County Magistrate Court.
Education officials received a letter of resignation from him Monday. Goff would not comment on the resignation or the allegations when reached by cellphone Tuesday.
The resignation was to take effect Monday, according to Heather Hutchens, general counsel for the state Education Department.
"It's a letter of resignation, there was no reason given and we have no further comment on it," she said.
She would not provide a copy of the letter.
Cindy Daniel, deputy superintendent, will assume Goff's duties until a new executive director of the state Office of Child Nutrition is selected.
According to the criminal complaint, Putnam sheriff's deputies responded on April 9 to a call about domestic violence on Kingswood Estates in Culloden. Eric Tolbert told a deputy that he called 911 after a child from across the street knocked on his door to seek help.
Tolbert told the deputy that he saw a woman whom Goff has been dating get into her vehicle and try to leave, but Goff opened the back door and tried to "extract one of the kids from the back seat."
According to Cpl. Daniel A. Redka's report, Tolbert said the woman then jumped into the back of the vehicle and got between the child and Goff. Tolbert said Goff then tried to choke the woman, but Tolbert was able to pull Goff out of the vehicle.
Redka wrote in the complaint that he saw Goff pull his vehicle into a driveway across the street, and Goff "had a tear and dirt on the right chest area of the shirt." The deputy wrote that Goff also smelled strongly of alcohol, but declined to take sobriety tests.
The complaint states Goff's girlfriend told another deputy that Goff's son had wanted to call his mother, but Goff took the phone from him. The girlfriend said she then put herself between Goff and his son.
"Goff grabbed her by the arms and threw her down twice one time resulting in her hitting head (sic) and causing an injury," the complaint said. "She further advised that he grabbed her by the throat multiple times."
The woman, according to the complaint, also said Goff slammed her foot in the door when she was trying to get into the car and grabbed her son by the throat and slammed him to the ground.
The deputy saw redness on the girlfriend's neck and face, rug burn on her son's right elbow and redness on his chest.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.