NORTH AUGUSTA -- Lee Wetheringon, chief of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, said this morning that he will retire in February after 37 years of service and 11 as chief.

In a letter submitted to Mayor Lark Jones on Tuesday, Chief Wetherington said that it was “an appropriate time for me to retire and focus more time on those things that are important to me.”

“I’ve had a very fortunate and long lasting career with public safety,” he said in a telephone interview this morning. “It’s been a great career, but it’s time to move on to something different.”

The announcement comes just weeks after Chief Wetherington was suspended for sending sexually explicit e-mails with co-workers, but the suspension was not part of his decision to step down, he said.

“It’s just the icing on the cake for 37 years of living in a glass bubble,” he said. “A lot of family decision making went into it for that particular date. There’s a lot of opportunity at that time."

His official last day will be Feb. 17.

READ THE LETTER

Click here to read the letter from Chief Wetherington.