Candor, NC -- Is the controversy over in Candor?
The fired police officers got their jobs back, but there's still a wrinkle of drama.
The man who took the job a lot of people wouldn't want, has been fired.
The town has budgeted for five full-time officers.
That means three fired officers have been rehired, and the two newly hired officers get to keep their jobs, but the police chief, Johnny Fulp, who simply applied for a job six months ago, gets the boot.
"We work at the discretion of the town board or the county board. Every law enforcement agency has a board that they have to deal with. And, we work at their discretion. North Carolina is an "at-will" state. And they can pop up at any second and say, 'it's been nice knowing you'," said Fulp.
For Fulp, the move last night came as a shock. He was given no indication he was about to lose his job until just minutes before the public found out.
Fulp said he knows all too well, it's politics. He'll stay on through July to help his replacement transition.
Even though commissioners said Fulp is the only one who will be terminated, the newest officers on the Candor police force aren't so sure.
"Everybody's a little uneasy, wondering if they're going to be retained, or they're going to be let go also," said Fulp.
Commissioner Tim Smith assured News 2 the money for five full-time officers is there.
Smith, along with Commissioner Philip Hearne, led the charge to rehire the police officers.
On Tuesday, News 2's Lauren Melvin asked Smith if this is the end of the drama in Candor.
"I certainly hope so. I hope this will end it. I hope when the force gets back, the police force that we rehired last night gets back, and we have a transition period, it will end all this saga that's been going on for the past six months," said Smith.
For a small town, the whole ordeal has been costly.
It's been a town divided, a town that's developed quite a reputation, and on top of that, the town of Candor already owes nearly $27,000 in unemployment with no wiggle room in their tight budget.
The three police officers who are being rehired will be hired back at their exact same salaries.
According to the town clerk, the town does not have to pay Fulp unemployment because he is still within his six-month probationary period.
WFMY News 2