By admin 
State Rep. Michael Rivers was arrested Friday morning in Colleton County on felony weapons charges, court records show.
Read more Bill Dufford, education activist who helped launch Pat Conroy’s career, dies at 99
Rivers, a Beaufort County Democrat, had been under SLED investigation since June after he allegedly displayed a firearm during an altercation with a political opponent at a Colleton County polling place on primary election day on June 9.
He was charged Friday with pointing and presenting firearms at a person and released on his own recognizance, records show. A SLED spokesman could not immediately confirm Rivers’ arrest.
State Rep. Seth Rose, a Columbia attorney who serves alongside Rivers in the S.C. House, represented the lawmaker at his bond hearing Friday and released a statement.
Read more Readers voted for the best Mexican restaurant in Columbia. Here’s the winner
“Michael has served admirably in the State Legislature and he is a retired member (of the) United States military. He has been an upstanding citizen for nearly seven decades,” the statement reads. “We ask for the public to withhold judgment until the facts come to light and this matter is resolved in a court of law.”
Rivers, a 67-year-old minister and Air Force veteran, has represented District 121 since 2017, according to his legislative biography.
The St. Helena Island resident, who serves on the House Education and Public Works and Government Efficiency and Legislative Oversight committees, was defeated in his primary reelection bid earlier this year by Democratic challenger Shannon DeLoach.
Read more Hurricane Isaias: How much rain will dump on Charlotte and the mountains?
Reporter John Monk contributed to this story.