The police chief for the city of Commerce has resigned in the wake of last month's arrest of the 2016 Miss Black Texas US Ambassador.

Chief Kerry Crews was not at Monday evening's special City Council meeting but announced his resignation in a letter read by the mayor, KDFW-TV (Channel 4) reported.

Former police Chief Kerry Crews

The announcement followed backlash from the May 20 arrest of Carmen Ponder, a 23-year-old pre-law student at Texas A&M University-Commerce, who was detained at a Wal-Mart after an encounter with Commerce ISD school board trustee Michael Beane.

Ponder alleged that Beane cut her off on the road and noted that he was teaching his 14-year-old daughter how to drive. She said he called her a "black [expletive]" after she told him it was illegal for a child that age to be driving.

In a prepared statement, Ponder's attorney Lee Merrit alleged that Crews, who was off-duty at the time, approached Ponder in the parking lot and demanded that she apologize to Beane. When she refused, she was detained.

Crews wrote in his letter that he intervened at the trustee's request. He said he felt the dispute was "something I could handle. I was wrong."

Supporters of Miss Black Texas Carmen Ponder pray with a supporter of now former Police Chief Kerry Crews. His letter below. pic.twitter.com/BRQHgZI0RO — Allison Harris (@AllisonFox4News) June 26, 2017

Crews said he was unprepared for Ponder's response and became emotional.

Carmen Ponder

"It had nothing to do with her race or gender, or anything other than what I felt was her disrespect of my position as an officer and as the police chief," Crews said. "This emotional response was not the result of a single event or interaction. The past several years have been difficult in the city of Commerce, and they have worn on me."

Crews, who was placed on administrative leave while an independent review of the incident was conducted, said he has worked with the city manager's office to create a position for himself there as assistant to the city manager.

The review cleared Crews of accusations that he made racial statements or that Ponder's arrest was racially motivated.

Later, the Hunt County district attorney dropped the evading arrest charge against Ponder because of insufficient evidence.