CLINTON - The Clinton mayor as well as the town's Chief of Police have turned themselves in to authorities after arrest warrants were issued for both of them this week.

According to the arrest documents obtained by WBRZ Friday, the charges are related to the purchase of four SUV's for the town's police department which Mayor Lori Ann Bell and Chief Frederick Dunn signed off on in June. The warrant alleges the two orchestrated the purchase without approval from the town council nor correspondence with the town's attorney.

The documents go on to say the 60-month lease costing more than $203,000 incurred debt on behalf of the town of Clinton without authorization from the State Bond Commission.

In a meeting of the town council last month, Alderman Mark Kemp said the lease purchase was never presented to the board and it wasn't budgeted for. Chief Dunn had said they were trying to get a grant to fund the vehicles, but the budget wasn't complete to submit the grant in time.

Both the mayor and chief are now facing charges of malfeasance in office and leasing vehicles through fraudulent means. Dunn and Bell have since bonded out of jail.

This comes less than a day after a search warrant was filed in a separate investigation into the police department's narcotics account. Investigators, WBRZ learned, are looking into allegations fines are excessive, collected incorrectly or possibly illegally.