Sheriff promotes two deputies to lieutenants

Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman Tuesday promoted Gary Hunt and Mark Gist to the rank of lieutenant.

Hunt, 47, of Visalia, is a graduate of the College of Sequoias with an associate degree in administration of justice and also a graduate of Fresno State University with a bachelor’s in criminology. He began his career with the department as a trainee in December of 1989 stationed at Sequoia Field, now referred to as the Bob Wiley Detention Facility. In 1990 he was sponsored through the Tulare-Kings County Police Academy. Upon completion, he was promoted to the rank of deputy and reassigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility.

From 1993 to 1996, Hunt worked as a police officer for the Dinuba Police Department. He returned to the TCSD in January of 1996 and worked at the Porterville Patrol Substation. In November of 1997, he became a detective for the Sheriff’s Tactical Enforcement Personnel team.

Hunt was promoted to the rank of sergeant in February of 2002 and was stationed at the Pixley Substation. The following year, he returned to the Violent Crimes Unit as supervisor.

Gist, 44, of Visalia, started his law enforcement career in 1991 as a reserve officer with the Visalia Police Department. In addition to patrol, he worked undercover for a short period of time to shut down a multi-pound marijuana distributor.

He joined the TCSD in December of 1996 as a deputy stationed at Headquarters’ Patrol. In October of 1998, he transferred to the Investigations Division and was assigned to the STEP team with the collateral duties of being a SWAT team member. In 2001, he transferred to the Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Unit under the department’s Narcotic Division, with the collateral duties of Asset Forfeiture and SWAT.

He was then promoted to the rank of sergeant in February of 2005 and was assigned to the Bob Wiley Detention Facility, and late in 2006 he transferred to the Adult Pre-Trial Facility as the Administrative Sergeant. In July of 2007, he transferred to Headquarters’ Patrol and later that year he transferred back into the narcotics unit to supervise the daily activities of CLEU, NTF and INET. In September of 2010, he transferred to the North County Gang Violence Suppression Unit, then in July of 2012 he was transferred from gangs to the North County Investigations and Domestic Violence Unit.