Fifteen new NCWRC wildlife law enforcement officers were sworn in on July 20, 2022. These officers, commonly referred to as Game Wardens, completed their initial training, and now move on to 6 months of on-the-job training with veteran wildlife officers.
Once their field training is complete, the new officers will be assigned permanent duty stations across North Carolina.
The new officers are listed here in alphabetical order by their last name, along with their hometowns:
Cooper Abernathy, Morganton
Carson Billings, Elkin
Haywood Brantley, Spring Hope
Cole Burch, Sylva
Dern Crilley, Bladenboro
Hunter Gray, Valley City, Ohio
Spencer Hamilton, Sophia
Stephan Hawrysch, Loris, S.C.
Chance Herron, Troy
Nathan Kreitman, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Devon McGuire, Boone
Joseph Pepoli, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Omar Petty, Kings Mountain
Nathaniel Schott, Pylesville, Maryland
Sam Sheppard, Indian Trail