Alexandria Councilmember Shane Collins, sworn into office on Jan. 16, has resigned.
Collins was arrested on Jan. 31 on domestic violence assault charges. In his resignation letter, dated March 13, Collins said he was stepping down due to “personal reasons.”
“Please know that this decision was not made lightly, and I am incredibly grateful for all the support and guidance I have received during my time in office,” Collins said in the letter.
After the Jan. 31 incident, an affidavit was filed to the court on March 4 for violating his release from custody after he broke the no-contact order with the victim.
The city council voted at a meeting on March 20 to accept Collins’ resignation.
As a council member, Collins attended two meetings: his first on Jan. 16 and one the day before he resigned on March 12.
He will be back in court on April 7 at 1 p.m.
Collins did not respond to a request for comment.
The council has 30 days to fill the open seat. The council decided to accept applications for the position. That would leave applications open until April 17.
A copy of Collins’ resignation letter is below.