JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New details have been released after Nassau County Commission Chairman Aaron Bell was charged with D.U.I Tuesday evening, according to the Fernandina Beach Police Department.
According to an 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 also asked to go to the hospital, but police say he wouldn’t say why or tell paramedics what he felt was wrong. Bell was taken to the hospital by his own request, medically cleared, and then taken to the Nassau County Jail.
Bell, an Amelia Island resident since 2009, serves as Commission Chairman and represents District 2, according to his bio.
He is reportedly the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Science First, an 80 employee manufacturing company in Yulee.