Dalton police officer resigns after arrest of undocumented college student
The Brief
Dalton Police Officer Leslie O'Neal has resigned after mistakenly arresting 18-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal, who was later held in an ICE detention center for two weeks.
Body camera footage revealed Arias-Cristobal was misidentified during a traffic stop, leading police to drop all charges.
Although released, Arias-Cristobal still faces potential deportation and is working with her attorney to seek legal status.
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.
PREVIOUS STORIES
Dalton college student being held by ICE granted bond
Dalton college student still faces possibility of deportation in future
DHS defends ICE detainment of Georgia college student who violated traffic laws: 'Not ignoring rule of law'
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