DALTON, Ga. — The Dalton police officer who arrested Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a college student in a traffic stop that led to her being detained by ICE, has resigned.

City officials confirmed that Officer Leslie O’Neal stepped down from the Dalton Police Department on Friday, May 23.

“We can confirm that Officer O’Neal did resign from the DPD on Friday. He was the arresting officer in Ms. Arias-Cristobal’s case,” a spokesperson for the City of Dalton said in a statement.

O’Neal’s wife confirms with 11Alive News that the letter she posted on Facebook details his reasons for leaving. In that resignation letter, O’Neal said his resignation stems from the 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.”

Arias-Cristobal’s case garnered national attention, and began when she was pulled over in what city officials now admit was a traffic stop that was made in error.

Dash camera video showed that another car, not Arias-Cristobal’s, made a right turn at a “no right on red” intersection. Despite this, Arias-Cristobal was stopped and arrested. The charges were later dropped, but not before she was handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Officer O’Neal said he has faced widespread defamation that the department has been silent about, saying he could no longer effectively do his job without “fear of further backlash from the community.”

11Alive asked the City of Dalton’s Communications Director for the department’s response, he said they don’t have a comment on the letter at this time

Arias-Cristobal was held for two weeks at Stewart Detention Center before being released on bond Thursday night. Her immigration case is still active.

Her father was also detained by ICE during the same time, but has since been released on bond. He is now applying for “cancellation of removal,” a legal path that may allow him to stay in the U.S.

The Dalton teen’s story drew widespread support from across Georgia and beyond, including protests in Atlanta and the community rallying to raise funds to help with her legal case. Her attorney said the arrest may help support her application for a U visa, which is made available to people who have been victims of “certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

Arias-Cristobal came to the U.S. with her family at four years old and was not eligible for DACA. She currently has no clear legal path to stay in the country.

“Ximena, however, does not have any qualifying relatives. She does not have a U.S. citizen spouse, parent or child,” said her attorney, Dustin Baxter. “What we’re going to try and do is link her case to her father. If he’s granted permanent residency, she may then qualify as well.”

Dalton city officials have not yet said if Officer O’Neal’s resignation was in connection to Arias-Cristobal’s case.