Hometown Hero of the Week: Joseph “Joey” Pepoli, October 1st, 2025

Joey was nominated by Haley Bain, who says, “Joey deserves to be recognized because he does so much that often falls behind the scenes due to the nature of his job. Being a Wildlife Enforcement Officer has a stigma that surrounds it because everyone has the mindset that the “Game Warden was out to get them.” When in reality, no different than any other branch of law enforcement, when they walk out the door with a uniform on, they are a target, and the uncertainty of coming home at the end of a shift remains the same. In his young career, he has worked tirelessly to be an advocate for youth hunter education, do the day-to-day, and grow into a confident enforcement officer, as far as taking impaired drivers off of the North Carolina roads and waterways. As well as finding time to enjoy his passion of the outdoors occasionally for himself, becoming a first-time dad, and the youngest field training officer in Wildlife’s history. The results from Officer Pepoli’s first year of boating patrol included a total of 122 boat stops, 33 boating arrests, 36 boating warnings, and 8 boating while impaired arrests. To express the validity of his hard work, he was recently nominated for the NASBLA Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, the Governor’s award, and a MADD award. To some, he may be the man in “green jeans” that hides in the woods to catch someone slipping up, but to us, he is our hero and that is why I feel he would be a perfect hometown hero!” 

Thank you, Joey, for your service! As a token of our appreciation, we’re sending you a $50 gift card to Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q to thank you for all you do.