Charleston school headmaster resigns after arrest for prostitution, open container

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The First Baptist School confirmed Friday its headmaster resigned after his arrest by North Charleston Police.

Thomas Edmond Mullins, 67, was charged with prostitution and open container, according to police spokesman Spencer Pryor.

"The First Baptist School of Charleston has received the resignation of Tommy Mullins as Head of School as of July 6, 2017," a press release sent from the school's board chairman, Dr. Harrison Carter, and the First Baptist Church pastor, the Rev. R. Marshall Blalock, states. "Mr. Mullins has asked to be released from his contract for personal reasons, some of which have been reported on local news. Our hearts are united in prayer for Mr. Mullins and his family."

According to the incident report, the North Charleston S.P.E.E.D. Team conducted a prostitution enforcement operation with an undercover female officer posing as a "street-level prostitute."

At approximately 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, Mullins made contact with the undercover officer in the area of Remount Road and Buskirk Avenue, and during a conversation, Mullins solicited a sex act in exchange for $30, the incident report states.

Officers initiated a traffic stop and placed him under arrest, and during an inventory taken of the vehicle Mullins was driving, officers found an amount of Crown Royal Apple in a plastic Clemson cup in the center console, the report states.

In the release from the school, as well as in a separate letter sent to parents of students, Carter and Blalock said the board would make an announcement on future leadership plans soon.

The school credited Mullins as a groundbreaker in the development of dual credit courses which allow students to finish a year of college courses while in high school and said one of his most powerful and enduring legacies would be his emphasis on racial diversity.

First Baptist School is grateful for the many contributions Tommy Mullins has made to bless our students and their families over these past fifteen years," the letter states. "Now as he takes the next steps in his life, the First Baptist family extends love and support to the Mullins family."

Mullins was released on bond, according to jail records.

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