Documents from a five-month investigation of Steve Krentel, the former chief of St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 12, have been turned over to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, which issued a warrant for the more than 4,000 pages last month.
Krentel's wife, Nanette Krentel, was found dead of a gunshot wound in the couple's burned-down home nearly a year ago. Her murder remains unsolved, but Sheriff Randy Smith has publicly cleared Steve Krentel as a suspect.
The search warrant was cited in a letter from Troy Ingram, the Covington-area fire district's attorney, to Tom Williamson, a firefighter who has been a vocal critic of Krentel.
Williamson, in a public records request, sought the documents generated during the district's investigation, which was sparked by complaints he lodged.
Among other accusations, Williamson said that Krentel had carried on an affair with a co-worker and had taken department property.
Ingram denied the public records request on a number of grounds, saying that there is an ongoing investigation into Krentel that could be compromised by releasing the documents. The letter does not indicate what the Fire District investigation entails.
But Ingram also cited the Sheriff's Office warrant, which he said was signed by 22nd Judicial District Judge Peter Garcia on May 31.
"Inasmuch as this investigative file may now form a part of (the Sheriff's Office's) investigation into the murder of Nanette Krentel, the file may be exempt from disclosure," the letter said.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Meredith Timberlake said the Nanette Krentel case remains an open and active investigation. "As with any investigation, we make every effort to obtain any and all information that could possibly pertain to the case," she said in response to a question about the warrant for the files of the fire district's probe.
Nanette Krentel was killed on July 14, 2017.
Steve Krentel said he was aware of the search warrant. "As long as they're still looking at (his wife's death), I'm happy," he said.
"I don't care what they look at as long as they're still looking," he said, adding that he is aware of the contents of the documents in question.
"They are just doing their job, and I respect that," he said of the Sheriff's Office.
In the meantime, Williamson and the firefighters' union have appealed the fire district board's decision to punish Krentel with a 60-day suspension for having romantic relationships with two women who worked for the district. He was also ordered to reimburse the district for air-conditioning units he took from ambulances in the district's now-defunct ambulance service.
Williamson submitted a letter Thursday to Fire District 12's Civil Service Board, noting that he had been told that he had the right to do so if he was not satisfied with the disciplinary actions taken by the district's board of commissioners.
"At this time, I respectfully wish to appeal the decision made by the current FD12 Fire Board," Williamson wrote. "Chief Krentel, in my opinion, has committed several fireable offences."
When asked about the appeal, Krentel said, "I don't know what to think anymore."
Krentel, who had been the district's chief, was demoted to chief of administration last month, a step that the board took prior to disciplining him. Board members said that his one-year probationary period as chief was about to expire and the board had decided not to retain him in that position. That action was not described as a disciplinary measure.
A week later, the board announced Krentel's suspension.
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