BRYAN, OH - There’s a new sheriff in town...

Tom E. Kochert was sworn in Tuesday afternoon in Bryan as the new Sheriff of Williams County.

Kochert has previously served as a volunteer special deputy for about four years. Kochert told The Bryan Times back in December of 2019, it was during his duties as a volunteer special deupty where he had a "front row seat to observe the operations of the Williams County Sheriff’s Office", which concerned him, and even pushed him in the direction to run for the office.

Kochert won the GOP primary for sheriff just over a month ago in late April (2020).

Kochert won the popular vote in the Republican primary for Williams County Sheriff earning 1,946 votes (43.11%) compared to Timothy M. Livengood’s 1,491 (33.03%) and Shaun Fulk’s 1.077 (23.86%).

It was anticipated that Kochert would be appointed by the end of May and to be sworn in as Sheriff in early June.

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the swearing in of a new Sheriff after the resignation Stephan Towns. Towns had dated his resignation for March, but the election was moved to April due to COVID-19. The county commissioners appointed Sheriff Mohre as the position could legally not be vacant. The intent was to later appoint the winner of the primary race.

Kochert was born and raised in Lexington, Ohio, graduating from High School there in 1983. At the age of 17, straight out of High School his Dad signed the papers and he went into the Army.

After four years in the army, Kochert went into the undergraduate program in Wildlife Management at Hocking College, in Nelsonville, Ohio and graduated from the two year program in 1989. Wildlife openings were few and far between as there is only on Wildlife officer per county, so he worked for Mansfield Police Department for about three years.

In the Spring of 1992 he began his position of Wildlife Officer in Williams County, where he stayed until retiring in October 2015. Upon retirement, he began his time as a Special Deputy for the Williams County Sherifff's Department.

Kochert has also served as a police academy instructor at Owens for twenty plus years and still teaches at Tactical Defense institute.