Toulon’s chief also a deputy

By JOHN A. BALLENTINE­
For The Prairie News

TOULON – Toulon’s appointed police chief Gary Bent, 59, does double duty in the law-enforcement field as a Stark County deputy sheriff and as Toulon’s top police officer. Bent has been a full-time Stark County deputy sheriff since 2014 and was hired in 2015 as Toulon’s police chief.

There are eight part-time police officers who help Bent maintain the peace in Toulon. Bent was originally hired in 2003 by former Sheriff Jimmy Dison as the county’s animal control officer and then a few years later Dison hired Bent as a part-time deputy sheriff.

In addition to performing law-enforcement duties in Stark County, Bent was working at Caterpillar in management from 1997 to 2014. Prior to that, Bent spent 18 years in the United States Army and Army National Guard from 1980 to 1997. He earned his GED degree while in the Army.

“Drugs are bad all over,” Bent said when asked about Toulon’s crime rate. “I don’t know that with our current lawmakers that you’ll ever see it reduced. We need more resources to combat it.”

Bent said that he doesn’t keep any secrets when he was asked what people would be surprised to know about him.

He grew up in Toulon, the son of Ronald Bent and JoAnn Mooberry. Bent has two sisters, Rhonda from Bartonville and Kari from Texas.

He is married to Julie and they have four children, Jessica, Nicole, Brittany and Nathan. Gary and Julie have six grandchildren.

“I’m dedicated to Toulon and always will be,” Bent responded to a final question.