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Nassau Commissioner steps down as chair following DUI arrest

Commissioner Jeff Gray became the new chair on Monday, filling the position.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nassau County Commission Chairman Aaron Bell has stepped down following his June D.U.I arrest. He remains a commissioner but has stepped down as chair. 

Commissioner Jeff Gray became the new chair on Monday, filling the position.

Commissioner Bell has been a resident on Amelia Island since 2009. He represents District 2, according to his bio.

He is also reportedly the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Science First, an 80 employee manufacturing company in Yulee. 

Click here to watch the Nassau County Board of Commissioners meeting. 

According to Bell's arrest report, The Fernandina Police Department received a report of a reckless driver near S. 8th Street and Sadler Road from a concerned citizen. The citizen said that a car was slowing down and was failing to maintain its lane. 

Police say they responded and located a vehicle that matched the same license plate as described by the caller.

The officer noticed that the vehicle was weaving in between lanes and had a slow response time. It was at that time that a traffic stop was initiated.

Police say the officer made contact with Aaron Bell. The officer noted a strong smell of alcohol coming from Bell's breath and that he appeared disoriented.

Bell reportedly told police he had just dropped off his daughter at a church function prior to him being stopped, and denied having anything to drink.

Police says Bell refused a breathalyzer test but couldn’t pass a practical test. He then requested to go to the hospital, even though he could not tell paramedics what was wrong. Bell was brought to the hospital by his own request, medically cleared, and then taken to the Nassau County Jail. 

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