Ex-fire chief sentenced for child sex crime, child porn

By Sarah Arkin

Published: September 2, 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.