KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. –Kanawha County Delegate Andy Shamblin said he plans to introduce a bill addressing sextortion in the upcoming legislative session.
Andy Shamblin
“When you think about how loosely the current law is written in terms of the sextortion statute, I mean I don’t want to get too much into the details because I’m still getting the bill crafted, but I think imposing some better definitions in our current code and increasing the penalties for those who are involved in that type of behavior is very important,” Shamblin said recently on 580 Live.
Sextortion is a form of exploitation in which offenders pose as teenagers on social media to coerce victims into sending sexually explicit images before making demands.
The legislation follows the death of 15-year-old Kanawha County teenager Bryce Tate last month. Police responded to a shooting on Kelly Road in Cross Lanes on Nov. 6 and found Tate dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police examined Tate’s phone and found communications indicating he was the victim of sextortion just hours before his death. The investigation is being handled by the FBI and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.
Tate was a sophomore at Nitro High School.
Shamblin said Tate’s death has been difficult for the school community because of who he was.
Bryce Tate
“Bryce was a student that was extremely well-thought of, well- liked, very popular, athletic, he just checked all the boxes, and it’s been very a challenging time,” Shamblin said.
He said Tate’s story is being used to raise awareness of the issue.
Shamblin said national news outlets have played a significant role in ensuring the story reaches a wide audience.
“There’s been several national publications who have ran with that story and helped publicize it,” he said.
The 2026 legislative session begins Jan. 14, 2026.