Bloomsburg, PA, Mayor Eric Bower Resigns After Being Arrested for Going to See a Prostitute Who Was Actually a Police Informant

In this April 20, 2018, file photo, Bloomsburg Mayor Eric Bower, right, is escorted out of the State Police barracks in Bloomsburg, Pa., by Trooper Jason Raynes after being video arraigned by District Judge Doug Brewer on misdemeanor charges including criminal solicitation and patronizing prostitutes. (AP)

A Pennsylvania mayor has resigned nearly a month after his arrest on charges he patronized a prostitute.

Police allege that 36-year-old Bloomsburg Mayor Eric Bower paid a state police informant for sex several times, most recently in early April. Authorities say Bower was arrested at a Hampton Inn after he showed up with $200 cash and condoms.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that Bower has resigned as mayor, effective immediately.

Bower, a Democrat, was elected in November. A day after his arrest, he told WNEP-TV the woman was a friend with whom he had a “very playful, you know, relationship.” He called the charges a setup.

Bower’s attorney, Patrick O’Connell, said Thursday that Bower resigned for the good of the town.

Bloomsburg is about 130 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

SOURCE: AP