Sanford police chief Bill Lee to step down:

Bill Lee

Bill Lee, the Sanford, Fla., police chief who last month left his post temporarily amid criticism of his handling of the Trayvon Martin case, plans to step down permanently, according to CNN.

According to the Associated Press, the Sanford city commission will vote to approve the resignation at a meeting Monday.

Lee--who was harshly criticized for not arresting Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, on the night of the Feb. 26 shooting--initially announced he would step aside until the public furor receded.

"I am aware that my role as the head of the department has become a distraction," Lee said at press conference on March 22. "I have come to the decision to temporarily remove myself."

Zimmerman was released early Monday after posting a $150,000 bond.

He was fitted with an electronic monitoring device before leaving the John E. Polk Correctional Facility, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said.

On Friday, Zimmerman--who's been charged with second-degree murder--apologized to Martin's family during a dramatic two-hour court hearing.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son," Zimmerman told Martin's parents on Friday in his first public statement about the death. "I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not."

By Dylan Stableford |