In the wake of allegations stemming from a sex scandal with a subordinate female police officer, Detroit Police Chief Ralph L. Godbee Jr. retired Monday from his position as the city's police chief.
During a press conference held by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing Monday, the mayor confirmed that Godbee, 44, had turned his letter of retirement, resigning his post effective "immediately," according to multiple news outlets.
News of Godbee's resignation comes on the heels of a scandal revolving around Godbee's relationship with Internal Affairs Officer Angelica Robinson, who had allegedly been dating Godbee for a year before the relationship ended, The Detroit News reported.
"It bothers me, hurts me a great deal that it has come to this," Bing said at the press conference Monday. "I worry about him as a person and hope that he is able to get on with his life, no longer as part of the Detroit Police Department, but as a citizen in Detroit."
Last week, Mayor Bing suspended Godbee-who filed for divorce in August-for 30 days amid allegations that Bing used police resources to conduct surveillance on Robinson, 37, on Sept. 29. This came after she posted a picture of herself on Twitter on that evening with a service gun in her mouth, according to MyFoxDetroit.com.
Robinson believed that Godbee, who had gone to a police convention in San Diego that weekend, was with another woman.
However, David Robinson, the attorney representing Angelica Robinson, told Reuters that Godbee had pursued his client aggressively and she wanted to end the relationship.
Godbee's retirement is only the latest in a series of public office scandals to hit the Motor City since 2008.
A 25-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, Godbee took the reins of the police department in 2010 after police chief Warren Evans resigned after his relationship with an underling officer, Lt. Monique Patterson, came to light. In 2008, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick resigned following a public corruption scandal.
Assistant Chief Chester Logan will act as interim chief until a permanent replacement is found.
Bing credited Godbee at the Monday press conference for his work during the course of his tenure as police chief, but added that he had previously spoken with Godbee about "my concerns and what my expectations were."
"He didn't live up to those expectations, and that leads us to where we are today," Godbee said.
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