PRAYED IN BY PASTOR BYRON ADAMS … Of Life Changing Church where Kochert and his wife Claudia attend church, newly elected and sworn in Sheriff Tom Kochert and his newly sworn in Chief Deputy Jeff Lehman, took the moment very seriously. Following the applause for Lehman, Kochert stepped up and asked the crowd which had already begun to buzz with conversation, to please join with them in one more thing, as he would like to have his pastor pray for them as they begin this new task together. (PHOTOS BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
A hotly contested race, with three equally qualified contenders has come to an end with Tom Kochert (pronounced Ko with a long o, heart) winning the Sheriff’s position in Williams County. “It was a very spirited race and I can’t thank the other candidates enough. We kept each other on our toes, but I am glad it is over,” Kochert said in an interview on WBNO/WQCT with Jim Funderberg.
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.
In a phone interview Kochert shared he was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC in a Psychological Operations Battalion which was part of the first Special Forces group.
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 was offered the position of Wildlife Officer in Williams County and stepped into those shoes in the fall of 1993, staying in that spot until he retired in October 2015.
He loved that job and knows every nook and cranny of Williams County from covering it all those years. He is looking forward to working with Ethan Bingham, the present WCW officer, who grew up in Fulton County and whom he has known since Bingham’s younger days when he hunted in Williams County with his dad.
On the day Kochert retired in October 2015, Sheriff Steve Towns swore him in as a Special Deputy. “The Specials, or auxiliary volunteers can be used for a great number of efforts,” Kochert said. “We have a dive team and an air asset team for when we need it. The man power can free up the deputies to do other things.”
During his past five years in “the Specials” he served as the president of the reserves twice, with his most treasured achievement being that he got the group separated by function into three groups, making it easier to know on whom to call. He plans to get some of the Reserve Deputies “Cruiser ready” so they “can jump in and help when we have the need.”
“As sheriff, this job entails so much. So many different facets. It is a combination of a lot of requirements,” Kochert said. “The fact that the voters put their trust in me…i won’t forget that. It is a public trust and I am ready to get started. There is a huge learning curve and it will take some time. I am very pleased with the staff that is there and I don’t see a lot of new things needing to be thrown in right away.”
Concerning when he will get to step into the job, Kochert explained that the Republican Central Committee has the responsibility of appointing a sheriff and they have said that they will appoint the person who won the election. That group will be meeting on May 12, 2020 and will determine at that time, when he will be appointed.
The urgency for the elected sheriff to be quickly appointed was removed when Sheriff Gary Mohre was appointed by the County Commissioners to cover the void caused by the shutdown of the election which was supposed to have been held on March 17. “It takes time and it is prudent to not rush,” Kochert said, “but I am sure they will get this accomplished soon.”
He has been speaking with his Chief Deputy Jeff Lehman, discussing the things they plan to accomplish. Lehman was Montpelier’s Police Chief for around 15 years. He was born in Defiance area, but has worked in Williams County and at Defiance City, was campus police at NSCC and has 32 years as a full-time officer as well as being a fireman for a while.
They have been friends for 36 years and “his law enforcement knowledge is hard to beat,” Kochert said. Between them they have over 60 years in law enforcement and he can’t say enough good about him. “The biggest reasons,” Kochert explained, “is that he is a man of faith in Christ and is trustworthy.
He was a police academy instructor at Owens for twenty plus years and still teaches at Tactical Defense institute. Our ability to train will be awesome when you put us together. A huge percentage of the deputies had him as an academy instructor.”
Concerning changes to the department, Kochert says there will be some, but nothing too quickly. “We do have a desire to make some general housekeeping changes but first we want to just ease in, take a deep breath and adjust to each other. I need to look over the inventory, both stuff and personnel. I want to find each person’s niche so I can be using each one in the area of their greatest talents.”
Whenever a new family moves into a house, they get the house in order in a way that serves them best. Kochert plans to do that in the Sheriff’s department in a way that will best serve the county.
Coming in during a time of economic stress makes the budget a priority and he will be looking at what can be adjusted. “Sheriff Mohre did a good job of stepping into a spot that was needed and helping in the interim,” Kochert said.
“I should be appointed by the end of May and there will budget negotiations and union negotiations and more decisions to be made and it is important that someone who was elected by the people be making the decisions. It was admirable that he looked to find anything he could help with during his short stay and we will continue that.”
“During the campaign I said I am frugal and I am. That is good with some items, but when it comes to equipping deputies for good service on the road, we have to spend money for them to do their jobs to the best and to the level that the state mandates. We will live within the budget. We will ask the same as household principles… do we really need this or can we wait?”
When asked about his tendency to call the sheriff deputies “Our guys” or “the kids” Kochert explained, “I don’t say that in a derogatory way. I am just so much older than most of them. I don’t mean to offend them. I am hoping they will get used to me and realize it is a term of affection.”
As the “our guys” applies to female deputies, he said that at this point there is one on staff “who has been there quite a while and does a great job.” He added that he is open to hiring anyone who “has the skill set, a good attitude, and the ability to conform to the way we run the office.” He did add that if it bothers any of them extremely he is willing to work on it.
One issue that is uppermost in his thoughts is the need and ability to cover the entire county, focusing especially on the rural areas where homes and farms are far apart. “The thought that there are people alone out in the rural areas who might not ever see a sheriff car go by … They need to know that they are being watched and cared for!
DEPUTY CHIEF JEFF LEHMAN … (on right) was sworn in, also by Judge J.T.Stelzer, following the swearing in of Sheriff Tom Kochert on June 9, 2020 in a ceremony in the pavilion on the Bryan Courthouse lawn. Lehman and his wife, Melanie, expressed joy at his being chosen by Kochert for this position. These two men who have been friends for years both measure in at 6 feet 8 inches. Lehman jokingly calls them “13 feet of law enforcement” and Kochert said a few people have called them “The Twin Towers.”
Five on an assigned shift should be covering the rural areas efficiently. Theft on the farms is a great concern and we want the farmers to know we are with them to keep it from happening. I want the deputies stopping to take a few minutes with a farmer or a country home owner, when they see them outside. Just to say hi and give them their card and say, ‘Call me if you have any problems.’ Just think how much that will mean to them. They will call the deputy who gives them his card.”
Another hope of the new sheriff is for unity amongst all the law enforcement agencies. “I plan to invite every Single police chief to bring their crews out to train with us. Maybe a basic refresher on repetitive training. Let’s think outside the box.”
“We are going to train in night shooting, and lots of other areas. Why shouldn’t we all work together? He is also going to invite the commissioners to come and watch. It will help them know why we need things that I might be asking for funds for at a later date.”
He has already been in communication with the Highway Patrol. “We aren’t saying we are the best of everybody, but we all bring a lot to the table, and we might as well work together in unity. Why reinvent the wheel?”
Congratulations to the new Williams County Sheriff, Tom Kochert! May it all go smoothly and efficiently and may your hopes and desires for Williams County be realized.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com