Sanford commission rejects police chief’s resignation in Trayvon Martin case

City commissioners in Sanford, Florida voted on Monday to reject the proposed resignation of its embattled Police Chief, Bill Lee, who has been under scrutiny for the handling of the probe into Trayvon Martin’s death in February. Chief Lee has been on paid leave since March 22, a day after the commission expressed a lack of confidence in the chief because of the case. Chief Lee remains on paid leave after the commission’s decision, with Captain Darren Scott continuing to serve as acting chief.

The City Commission opted not to accept the proposed deal by a 3-2 vote, which would have permanently dismissed Lee from the job and given him a severance package. If Lee’s resignation would have been approved on Monday, it would have taken effect at midnight. Two commissioners questioned the fairness of Lee losing his job, while Mayor Jeff Triplett, who sided with the majority to reject the resignation, said he preferred to wait possibly several months for the results of an investigation into Lee and his department. “I’m not ready to have him come back and run the Police Department, but I don’t know if I’m ready for this either,” Triplett said. George Zimmerman, who claims self-defense in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was not arrested after he was questioned by police on the night of the shooting, under the authority of Chief Lee. He was arrested 45 days later, after special prosecutor Angela Corey was assigned to the case. Zimmerman, 28, was released from jail on a $150,000 bond on Monday.