Dalton police officer resigns after arrest of undocumented college student
Officer who arrested Georgia student facing deportation resigns
The Dalton officer who pulled over Dalton college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal, leading to her ICE detainment and risk of deportation, has officially resigned from the department, according to city officials.
DALTON, Ga. - A Dalton police officer has resigned following the arrest of a local teenager who was later held for two weeks in an ICE detention center.
According to the Dalton Police Department, Officer Leslie Allen O’Neal pulled over Ximena Arias-Cristobal during a traffic stop and arrested her on multiple charges. Federal authorities later determined that Arias-Cristobal is in the country illegally and she was transferred to a detention center prior to deportation.
However, after reviewing footage of the traffic stop, police said they found Arias-Cristobal had been mistakenly identified and the charges were dropped. Additionally, she was granted bond at the detention center.
RELATED: Traffic charges dropped against Georgia college student now facing deportation
A letter reportedly posted on Facebook by O'Neal's wife says that he resigned because of the police department's "inadequate response to and defense against public accusations of false arrest, which arose after a charge from a valid arrest was publicly dropped without explanation." It goes on to say that the department's "silence in the face of widespread defamation" has made his position "untenable."
Despite her release, Arias-Cristobal still faces the possibility of deportation. She says she is currently working with her attorney in hopes of securing legal status.
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