Nov. 27--An employee's complaints against St. Tammany Parish District 12 Fire Chief Steve Krentel, whose wife was killed last July, will be the subject of a full investigation by the district's Board of Commissioners, a Civil Service panel decided Monday.
The three-member panel heard several hours of testimony from Tom Williamson, a firefighter with the district, who lodged a complaint with the Civil Service Board last month.
He's accused Krentel of carrying on a sexual relationship with a subordinate and taking equipment from the fire district.
Williamson, accompanied by a lawyer, said morale at the district is at an "all-time low," and that other firefighters are supporting his complaints. He said they want a change in leadership.
Krentel, who sat next to his accuser during several hours of testimony, said that the allegations are all false and that he can prove it.
He said that he looked forward to doing so.
The Civil Service Board voted unanimously to draft an order telling the Board of Commissioners to conduct a "full and complete" investigation.
They will hold a meeting on Dec. 6 to adopt the order.
Krentel returned to work Nov. 1 and was immediately hit by the complaint. His wife, Nanette Krentel, was killed in July. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office said she was killed by a gunshot to the head. Her badly burned remains were found in the ruins of the couple's Lacombe home after a house fire.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office has said that Krentel has been cleared as a suspect in her death.
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