Pennsylvania state police have arrested a Democratic mayor for allegedly paying a prostitute $200 to have sex with him.
Police accused Eric Bower, 36, Bloomsburg’s Democratic mayor, of having sex with a confidential informant several times, the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise reported.
Bower allegedly agreed to meet the woman at a Hampton Inn in Scott Township on Friday evening. When the mayor arrived, allegedly carrying $200 in cash and condoms, police arrested him.
He was booked into Columbia County Prison and later released.
Bower told WNEP less than 24 hours after the arrest that he plans to “fight” the allegations against him and proclaimed his innocence.
“Very embarrassing incident. All I can say is that my lawyer and I are going to fight these charges,” Bower said.
Bower claimed that he was “setup” and the woman was merely someone with whom he had regular contact.
“This woman was not random. She’s someone that I had an ongoing relationship of some kind with,” he said. “I believe this was just a setup because of my political position and nature, and if it was anyone else, it probably would not be occurring.”
Bower, who used to serve on Bloomsburg’s town council, began serving as the town’s mayor in January after defeating the Republican candidate in an election last November.
The mayor is due back in court on May 2.