South Carolina State Representative Thad Viers, who represents the Socastee area of Horry County, announced his resignation at the beginning of the legislative session in Columbia Wednesday.
In January, the Conservative Republican was arrested in Myrtle Beach on a 1st Degree Harassment charge based on complaints by his ex-girlfriend.
Viers, who has represented SC District 68 since 2002, told NewsChannel 15 he decided to resign after recently learning that Will Rogers, the 4th Circuit Solicitor, would be seeking an indictment against him on the charge Thursday.
Because Viers' ex-girlfriend is employed with the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office in Horry County, the 4th Circuit Solicitor's Office in Marlboro County is handling the case.
"In order to spare the South Carolina House of Representatives the embarrassment of having a member suspended from office, I'm doing the honorable thing and resigning, effective immediately. The circumstances surrounding the relationship with {my ex-girlfriend} over the past four, plus, years have taken a toll on both of our lives, and it's time for me to move on," Viers said.
Before his fellow legislators he said the investigation was a "politically motivated matter over a few love letters." You can watch the video of Viers resignation from ETV here.
Viers announced shortly after his arrest that he was ending his campaign for the new 7th Congressional District.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
