An emergency meeting of the Poplarville Board of Aldermen was held Tuesday evening to appoint an interim chief after the current chief submitted his resignation.

Poplarville Police Chief Butch Raby said he’s enjoyed serving the town of Poplarville, but he submitted his resignation because a better opportunity came along. As of Nov. 9, Raby will take over as the director of public safety at Pearl River Community College.

Three officers with the Poplarville Police Department will also be taking jobs at PRCC in the public safety division, Raby said.

Two of the officers have already submitted their resignations, Trent Boyd and Michael Petree, both of which were accepted by the Board during the Oct. 16 meeting.

City Clerk Jane O’Neal said that a third resignation was recently submitted to the city, but will not be taken under advisement by the Board until the next meeting, set for Nov. 6 at 5 p.m.

Poplarville Mayor Rossie Creel said that during Tuesday’s meeting Joe Stuart was appointed interim police chief until a permanent replacement can be found. Stuart is expected to start his new job on Thursday so there will not be a lapse in services, Creel said.

“I want to congratulate Raby on his new position and wish him the very best in his new endeavor,” Creel said.

Creel said that Stuart was police chief of Poplarville’s Police Department for six years before Charlie Fazende. Stuart was also Sheriff of the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department previously and worked for the 15th Circuit District Attorney’s Office.