A Michigan police officer who was placed on paid suspension after he was seen driving a pickup truck with a Confederate flag around a group protesting Donald Trump's presidential election has now resigned, the Washington Post reports.
The incident began at a Nov. 11 "Love Trumps Hate" rally in Traverse City, Mich. Police Officer Michael Peters, an 18-year law-enforcement veteran, was seen off-duty driving the Confederate-flag-bedecked truck before parking and drinking a beer.
His actions led to an internal investigation within the Traverse City Police Department, with Police Chief Jeffrey O'Brien calling the incident "reprehensible," the Post notes.
“I met with him this morning and I think he understands the ramifications of his actions,” O’Brien said at a Monday-morning news conference. “I’m not here to judge him; we have a process that we have to go through and we have to allow that process to be implemented. I’m asking everybody in the community to just be patient and let us do our job.”
O'Brien also announced that Peters, who is facing a criminal investigation, was suspended without pay pending the department's investigation.
Some hours later, Peters submitted his resignation, according to Traverse City Manager Marty Colburn. Colburn noted that Peters apologized "for the stain he put on the city," and the Police Department, adding that Peters' behavior remains under investigation, according to the Post.
Read more at the Washington Post.