Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was arrested Thursday and taken into custody after a St. Louis grand jury handed down an indictment against Greitens on a felony charge of invasion of privacy, the Kansas City Star reported.
The indictment follows Greitens admission in January that he had an affair in 2015 with a hairdresser, according to news reports, and that he threatened to release a nude photo of the woman if she ever publicly admitted to the affair.
The grand jury determined that the Republican governor took the picture, which showed the woman blindfolded and bound, and that it was taken “in a place where a person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
Authorities launched an investigation last month after the allegations surfaced.
The woman who accused Greitens reportedly told her ex-husband about the affair and the blackmail threats. He went to the media with a recording and accusations against Greitens, the Star reported.
Lawmakers have called on Greitens to resign in the wake of the scandal, but so far he’s refused.
Now the indictment could prompt impeachment proceedings against him.
The governor has filed a motion to dismiss the charges.
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