6/04/2025

VILAS COUNTY - A deputy with the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department who resigned after being arrested for participating in a drunken bar fight in 2021 is back at work.

Brent Wilmot worked in the private sector after his resignation and then took a lower-level position as a jail officer with Vilas County last January. He worked his way back up and was promoted to patrol deputy. Chief Deputy Patrick Schmidt says Wilmot was rehired because he has proved he can move forward from past mistakes. He was not, according to Schmidt, a wandering officer, one who’s been let go from a department, but is still certified and able to work in other departments. Wandering officers have a tendency to have character violation issues than new or veterans who haven’t been let go. Schmidt says Wilmot deserved a second chance and is one of the department’s better deputies, having learned from his negative experiences.