JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - An eastern Missouri lawmaker has resigned to accept a position on the state parole board.
Republican Rep. Paul Fitzwater resigned late Wednesday after Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens appointed him to the Board of Probation and Parole.
Fitzwater, of Potosi, had served as chairman of the House Corrections and Public Institutions Committee.
He now will be making decisions about whether prisoners should be granted parole or probation.
Fitzwater was first elected in 2010 and was barred by term limits from running again in 2018.
Parole board member Don Ruzicka resigned earlier this year after an inspector general's report said he played word games while questioning prisoners during hearings.