CENTRE, Alabama -- Cherokee County Republican Party Chairman John Lloyd Ellis has resigned following his arrest last week on charges related to marijuana plants investigators say were on his property.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead confirmed Ellis' resignation this evening. He said the party would have no further comment.

"We'll allow the legal system to take its course," he said.

Ellis, 52, faces charges of first degree unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested last week as part of a county-wide sweep that uncovered about 600 marijuana plants at various locations around the county.

Investigators said Ellis had about a dozen plants at his Ellisville home.

Alabama Bureau of Investigation helicopter spotters assisted in the operation, with officers working in teams to find locate marijuana plants.