Viers’ lawyer: No plans for Myrtle Beach lawmaker to resign

A day after state Rep. Thad Viers was arrested and accused of harassing an ex-girlfriend, his lawyer said that the lawmaker has no plans to resign.

Dylan W. Goff, a Columbia-based attorney representing Thad Viers, said that Viers is not stepping down from office, and he is looking forward to the next legislative session.

As for the charges made by Viers former paramour?

"He is very hurt by her accusations," Goff said.

But Viers may not have to resign in order to lose his seat. His misdemeanor charge of first-degree harassment carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. Viers has not yet been indicted, but if the charge holds, it could be enough to suspend him from office.

According to state law, “A member of the General Assembly who is indicted in a state court or a federal court for a crime that is a felony, a crime that involves moral turpitude, a crime that has a sentence of two or more years, or a crime that violates election laws must be suspended immediately without pay by the presiding officer of the House or Senate, as appropriate.”

Greg Foster, a spokesman for House Speaker Bobby Harrell, who presides over the state House, would not comment about the possibility of suspending Viers, saying only that “To my knowledge, our office has not been notified of any kind of indictment.”