A Green Bay Police detective has completed his investigation into allegations that a Gillett police sergeant filed a false report implicating Police Chief Jess Keplinger in a domestic incident.
Oconto County District Attorney Ed Burke said he received the files last week and will take another week or two to review them. He might call in a special prosecutor, he said, because the case involves an internal investigation into the personnel of a county law enforcement agency.
Burke said Keplinger has been cleared of the accusations, described as a physical and/or verbal disturbance involving an ex-girlfriend, in a Nov. 26 incident report filed by Sgt. Dennis Heise. Heise wrote the report after meeting with Howard and Mary Smith, of Gillett, who originally asked to remain anonymous, but later went public.
Howard Smith said comments made by the ex-girlfriend’s sister made him believe the girlfriend might have been verbally abused when she and Keplinger broke up in October. The sister denied making the comments, and the girlfriend said the accusations were false, calling them a personal attack against the chief.
Heise and the city reached a retirement/separation agreement Dec. 5, following the city’s investigation into the incident and due to friction in the department.
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