Alabama governor
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley announces his resignation amid impeachment proceedings on accusations stemming from his relationship with a former aide in Montgomery, Alabama, April 10, 2017. Reuters

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who was accused of having an affair with a former top aide and of using campaign funds for personal reasons, resigned Monday. Bentley, 72, pleaded guilty to those misdemeanors.

“I can no longer allow my family, my dear friends, my dedicated staff and cabinet to be subjected to consequences that my past actions have brought upon them,” he said at a Monday afternoon press conference.

Read: Alabama Governor's Sex Scandal Could Lead Robert Bentley To Prosecution

Here's a timeline of the events that started last year and ultimately led to Bentley's resignation.

March 22, 2016: The controversy around Bentley and his chief adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason's alleged relationship started when Bentley fired the state's top cop, Spencer Collier, who was at the time head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. That day, Collier​ said that Bentley had been having an affair with his top aide. Earlier in 2014, Bentley had dropped his phone during a business conference and Collier happened to read a text message having sexual connotations from Mason, reports said.

August 2015: Robert Bentley's wife, Dianne Bentley, filed for divorce. The filing cited, "complete incompatibility of temperament" as the reason for the divorce.

March 23, 2016: A phone call between Robert Bentley and a woman, he called "Rebekah," having obscene content made its way to the media. Dianne Bentley had made the recording as she wanted to find out the nature of her husband's alleged relationship with Mason. The recording had messages like: “Baby, let me know what I am going to do when I start locking the door. If we are going to do what we did the other day, we are going to have to start locking the door. ... You know I just, I worry about sometimes I love so you much. I worry about loving you so much.”

March 30, 2016: Mason resigned from her job as Robert Bentley's top political adviser. The move came a week after his confession of making "inappropriate" remarks to Mason two years ago. However, he denied any kind of sexual relationship between the two. Following Mason's resignation, Bentley released a statement: "I appreciate Rebekah Mason's service to my administration and the people of this state. I wish the best for her and her family."

April 6, 2017: Alabama Ethics Commission found that Robert Bentley might have violated state ethics and campaign finance laws. The commission previously received two complaints that the "Luv Guv" — as Robert Bentley is referred to by local media — had misused state resources to cover up his affair.

April 7, 2017: Robert Bentley spoke publicly for the first time since the Ethics Commission found that he might have violated the ethics law and campaign finance law. "I have done nothing illegal," the governor said. "If the people want to know if I misused state resources, the answer is simply no, I have not."

April 10, 2017: Robert Bentley resigned.

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