CLINTON - Mayor Lori Bell has resigned from office in Clinton after a tumultuous tenure with multiple arrests and state investigations.

Bell submitted her letter of resignation to the Secretary of State Friday, saying she was giving up office effective immediately. Bell cited the past year of "turmoil" while explaining her choice to leave in the letter.

Bell was first arrested for her alleged involvement in the fraudulent purchase of four SUVs for the town's police department. She was arrested a second time in Nov. 2018 after she was accused of taking money from the Clinton Police Department's Narcotics Fund between 2014 and 2016. Sheriff Jeff Travis said at the time Bell's alleged thefts totaled more than $2,000. 

She was last booked on malfeasance charges in January. That arrest was tied to Bell's failure to follow mandates from the Department of Health to fix the water system and communicate information to the department about the repairs.

You can read the full letter here.