AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) -- The head of the Maine National Guard is stepping down after eight years at the helm.
Adrienne Bennett, spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage, told The Associated Press that Maj. Gen. John Libby has submitted his resignation effective March 16.
Libby is adjutant general of the Maine National Guard and commissioner of the state Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
In a statement, LePage said he's accepted Libby's resignation with regret. The governor said Libby put Maine before himself when he was asked to stay on when LePage took office last year.
No reason was given for Libby's resignation, but the announcement comes six days after he postponed his scheduled address to a joint session of the Legislature so he could deal with an undisclosed family emergency.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)