Calvin officials accept police chief's resignation after his arrest on meth complaint

In Calvin, Oklahoma, a town with only one law enforcement officer, the news came as a shock to city officials that their police chief had been arrested and accused of methamphetamine distribution.

Calvin Police chief Joe Don Chitwood, 42, was arrested and booked into the Hughes County jail on Thursday, with a bail set at $25,000, according to the arrest affidavit. He was bonded out less than an hour later, jail officials said.

No charges had been filed by Monday afternoon, the Hughes County court clerk said.

Calvin town attorney Lloyd Palmer said the town accepted his resignation on Monday.

"Nobody expected something like this," Palmer said. "If anybody had any idea that there was evidence that something like these allegations was going on, it would never get this far."

Calvin, Oklahoma, police chief accused of selling methamphetamine

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control led an investigation after receiving a tip in mid-April that Chitwood was using and selling methamphetamine in Hughes County, authorities said. According to the arrest affidavit, Chitwood sold $20 worth of the drug to a bureau informant.

A search by the narcotics bureau also found small amounts of methamphetamine in Chitwood's Wetumka home, according to a news release. The search warrant affidavit has not yet been filed with the Hughes County court clerk.

The southeast Oklahoma town of about 275 people will receive support from the sheriff's office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol during the absence of a police chief, Palmer said.

"It is always inconvenient to have a personnel gap, but it's not anything that we can't handle," Palmer said.

Palmer said the town will conduct its own investigation into Chitwood's activities, and how his performance as chief may have been affected if the allegations are true.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Calvin, Oklahoma police chief resigns after meth found in home, arrest