ETON, Ga. — The Eton City Council will be without one member until January, with the position vacated by Steve Shaw to be filled in the general election in November. 

The remaining three council members and Mayor Billy Cantrell accepted Shaw’s resignation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, according to Kim Hall, city clerk. Shaw notified the mayor’s office of his resignation last Friday, a week after being arrested by the Murray County Sheriff’s Office on two felony counts related to an arranged illegal prescription drug buy. He is charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Controlled Substances Act and use of a communication facility in a drug transaction.

Messages left for Cantrell were not immediately returned Wednesday afternoon.

Shaw, 56, was first elected to the council in 2001 and has served since 2002. The seat he held is up for election on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. Rather than call for a special election to fill out the term, Hall said the council members decided to leave the seat vacant until the next election cycle. 

According to the Secretary of State’s website, qualifying for the election will be open Aug. 21-25.

Shaw, who has declined to comment, was released on a $2,000 bond two days after his arrest. He and Brenda J. Ann Flood, 24, of Chatsworth, were arrested when they met with sheriff’s deputies during an arranged “buy,” according to Detective Shannon Ramsey. Flood was charged with two counts of felony party to a crime. 

Chatsworth attorney Bill Keith, who is representing Shaw, said he didn’t expect Shaw to be indicted until the June term of the Murray County grand jury.