Allegations that the Gillett chief of police threatened and intimated a former girlfriend — accusations strongly denied by both parties — have led to a separation agreement between the city and the police sergeant who filed the incident report.
Sgt. Dennis Heise, 54, and the city signed a retirement/separation agreement Dec. 5 that ended his 15-year career with the department.
In a Nov. 26 incident report, Heise said he met with an individual who stated that a physical and/or verbal disturbance occurred between Police Chief Jess Keplinger and his girlfriend in October at Keplinger’s residence in Mountain.
In an e-mail response to questions posed by the Times Herald, Keplinger said the allegations were falsely reported, and “the truth of this matter was always on my side.”
In a telephone interview on Jan. 9, Heise told the Times Herald he “reported the incident as it was reported to me. They were very adamant that they wanted this to be documented.”
The individual making the allegations asked to remain anonymous, Heise said. Keplinger’s ex-girlfriend, who recently moved to Gillett, told the Times Herald last week she believed she knew the person’s identity.
The accusations against Keplinger were false, she said, calling them a “pathetic personal attack.”
“If I would’ve been afraid of Jess, I wouldn’t have moved to a town where I’d see him every day,” said the woman, who asked the Times Herald not to identify her.
Mayor Irene Drake said she learned of the incident report, which she described as “very disturbing,” on Dec. 1 and spoke with Oconto County Sheriff Mike Jansen, who recommended she initiate an investigation through an outside agency.
The city hired Mike Knetzger, of Knetzger Consulting, Training and Publishing LLC, of Green Bay. According to a report filed by Knetzger, on Dec. 3 he and Gillett Police Officer Karl Goerlinger met with the woman who had been Keplinger’s girlfriend for six years before the relationship ended in October.
According to the report the girlfriend said, “This is ridiculous and outrageous!” when she read the incident report. She told Knetzger the allegations were false, and she had never felt intimidated by Keplinger.
“As a matter of fact, he has always helped me,” she is quoted as saying in the report.
She confirmed this statement last week, saying she and Keplinger have remained friends since their separation.
“Jess has a good heart. He’s a very kind and caring person,” she said.
Heise told the Times Herald the woman might have been victimized but was too scared to tell the investigator what happened.
“I am not being bullied. I am not being pressured,” the woman told the Times Herald. She said the whole thing was made up.
Heise said he believed he was doing the right thing in filing the incident report. He described his relationship with Keplinger as “not a healthy one,” but declined to elaborate, citing confidentiality terms of the separation agreement.
“Since the hire of the new chief (in May 2013), I didn’t have any more interest in staying there,” Heise said.
When asked to describe his relationship with Heise, Keplinger explained in an e-mail, “Mr. Heise was an employee who I supervised during his time with the Police Department.”
He declined to comment when asked what, if any, other incidents have occurred between him and Heise. He also had no comment regarding the work Heise performed for the department.
He said no other reports filed by Heise are under review.
Drake said a retirement plan was in the works before the alleged domestic incident was reported, due to friction in the department.
According to terms of the separation agreement, the city will pay severance and benefits of $5,866, which includes $4,030 for vacation earned for 2015 and $1,794 for sick leave accumulated in 2014.
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