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Published: September 2, 2008
Updated: September 4, 2008
Former Riverbend Volunteer Fire Chief Gary Lee Toler will spend about nine years in jail for aggravated sexual battery of a minor and possession of child pornography.
Gary Lee Toler, 46, was sentenced to eight years and seven months in jail Tuesday in Danville Circuit Court, but due to a seeming clerical error, he will be re-sentenced on Thursday.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman said Toler’s sentence will likely be changed to nine years and seven months.
The sentence comes after Toler admitted to sexually battering a 7-year-old girl in October 2006. Her report to police led to the discovery of a stockpile of child pornography on Toler’s computer, Newman said.
In addition to the actual porn, much of the incriminating evidence against Toler came in the form of conversations he had with other people. In those talks, Toler requested information about obtaining porn and about how to entice the girl into sexual activities with him, prosecutors said.
Toler pleaded guilty in July to one count of aggravated sexual assault on a minor and 15 counts of possession of child pornography.
He served as the county’s fire marshal from the early 1990s until 1996.
Toler also was the county’s public safety coordinator during that time.
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Reader Reactions
well obviously the last Gary is as dumb as the one in the article—I wouldnt care how long he has seemed so nice and normal but if that was ur 7 year old he violated you would not be so understanding of your “good buddy.“
Just repulsive that a person can be stupid enough to come on a website and defend a child predator—
As a mother of a 7 year old—its just sickening and he and his “strange impulses” will get lots of action in jail—just he will be the little girl this time—
I’ve known Gary Toler for more than 30 years. He isn’t an evil person. I don’t know what happened to trigger this unusual interest in young girls. I know that God will judge him and that’s good enough for me. Good Luck Gary!
Gary Hawker
No, it is NOT a fair exchange. The publicity is also not fair to the very young victim who might be persecuted for a lifetime for something an adult man did. This child did not deserve all the publicity but since he was a public “upstanding member of the community” the news hit the paper, the radio and the TV. That’s their job, “the news”!
Where does Child Protective Services fit into this situation now that he pled guilty (and was guilty) at a trial and was sentenced? Did they drop the hot potato with protection from the press?
I hope he has a very difficult eight years and seven months!
SO, he gets eight years and seven months. And the little girl (and any other victims he may have) may be messed up for life. That’s NOT a fair exchange. And when he gets out, most likely, he’ll do it again to someone else.
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