By admin 
State Rep. Michael Rivers was arrested Friday morning on felony weapons charges over an alleged political dispute at a Colleton County polling station in June, arrest records show.
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Rivers, a Beaufort County Democrat, was charged with pointing and presenting firearms at a person and released on his own recognizance, records show.
An arrest warrant states that Rivers retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and pointed it at the victim after they got into a “brief verbal altercation” over his political campaign. The incident occurred on June 9, primary election day, at the Green Pond Community Center in Colleton County, according to the warrant.
SLED investigated the case at the request of the Colleton County’s Sheriff’s Office.
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.
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“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. He’s also listed online as the chair elect for the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.
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 SC state representative arrested in connection with weapons case, records show
Reporter John Monk contributed to this story.