BOYKINS—Six months after he was hired as Boykins’ sole police officer, Town Sgt. Willie Culpepper has resigned.

The Town Council is looking for a replacement. The job pays $27,000 annually plus health insurance and a retirement package.

Culpepper submitted his resignation during a special council meeting to review his six-month probationary period, said Mayor Spier Edwards.

“We were having a meeting to discuss things and at the end of the meeting, he handed in his letter (of resignation.) I was somewhat surprised in a way,” Edwards said. “He said he was going to further his life, hoping to be a minister. I wish him all the success in the world.”

Culpepper’s resignation didn’t surprise Vice Mayor Sam Drewry.

“I knew he was in the ministry,” Drewry said.

Culpepper could not be reached.

He began working for the town on April 2, replacing James Henry “Hank” Fuller, who left on Jan. 31 to become a deputy with the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office.

Born and raised in Portsmouth, Culpepper began his law enforcement career in 1997 with the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office. After about 10 years, he joined Chase City Police Department in Mecklenburg County, where he served for three years as a patrol officer.

Boykins has received two applications for Culpepper’s job, Edwards said. The town will continue advertising through the end of October before making a decision.

In the interim, the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office will provide police coverage for Boykins, Edwards said.