NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
Davidson County Clerk John Arriola announced his resignation Monday following an investigation into whether he collected an illegal fee to perform wedding ceremonies.
Arriola's resignation will take effect Friday, June 29.
Arriola's friend and employee Leighton Bush has also resigned and will leave at the end of the month.
Last July, District Attorney General Torry Johnson requested the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation open a formal probe into Arriola's office after a state audit found he collected more than $119,000 by charging a $40 fee to perform weddings.
The results were turned over to Johnson's office early this year, and were reviewed by several senior prosecutors.
In their report, state auditors estimated Arriola had collected approximately $119,400 over a five-year period but whether his actions were criminal in nature is a little less clear.
Johnson explained, "Tennessee law does allow a county clerk to accept a gratuity for performing a wedding ceremony, but the clerk may not charge a fee. Whether the money in question in this case was an illegal ‘fee' or a permitted ‘gratuity' would likely be determined only after protracted and costly litigation."
With Arriola's resignation from office, Johnson said there would be no prosecution into what the audits found.
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