THE FORMER FBI AGENT WHO INTERVIEWED CHAD KRASTEL OF SIOUX CITY IN DECEMBER OF 2020 ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF MISTREATMENT OF KRASTEL’S CHILD AND COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE SIOUX CITY POLICE AND COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS KRASTEL HAS NEVER BEEN INVESTIGATED AS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST, NOR HAS ANY CITY OFFICIALS ASKED THE FBI TO INVESTIGATE HIM AS A POSSIBLE TERRORIST.
FORMER AGENT STEPHEN FRIEND WORKED FOR THE FBI’S OMAHA OFFICE AT THAT TIME. AND A SECOND FBI AGENT, JEFFREY HOWARD, WAS ALSO PRESENT AT THE INTERVIEW.
A STATEMENT PROVIDED BY FRIEND SAYS THAT AFTER INTERVIEWING KRASTEL, THERE WAS NO APPARENT VIOLATION OF FEDERAL OR STATE LAW BY SIOUX CITY POLICE OR THE SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AND THAT THE FBI COULD NOT INVESTIGATE THE MATTER.
FRIEND SAYS AT NO POINT WAS KRASTEL A SUBJECT OF AN FBI INVESTIGATION AND THE FORMER AGENT TOLD CITY POLICE CHIEF REX MUELLER THAT THEY WOULD NOT INVESTIGATE KRASTEL’S COMPLAINT AGAINST CITY POLICE.
IN MAY OF 2023, FRIEND TESTIFIED BEFORE THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE WEAPONIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND TALKED ABOUT HOW HE AS A SPECIAL AGENT, CONDUCTED SURVEILLANCE OF PARTICIPANTS AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AS A SPECIAL AGENT INVESTIGATING DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
THOSE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS FRIEND WAS AT WERE IN BUNNELL FLORIDA IN THE FALL OF 2022, NEVER IN SIOUX CITY, IOWA.
FRIEND STATED THAT HE RECENTLY LEARNED KRASTEL HAS ALLEGED THAT CHIEF MUELLER AND OTHER CITY OFFICIALS HAD REFERRED KRASTEL TO THE FBI AS A POTENTIAL DOMESTIC TERRORIST.
STEPHEN FRIEND SAYS THIS DID NOT OCCUR AND HAS NEVER OCCURRED.
HE REPEATED THAT AT NO POINT HAS KRASTEL BEEN THE SUBJECT OF AN FBI INVESTIGATION NOR A TARGET OF FBI SURVEILLANCE.
FRIEND MADE HIS STATEMENT THURSDAY MORNING.
SIOUX CITY POLICE HAVE COMPLETED THEIR OWN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INVOLVING CHAD KRASTEL’S ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT BY THE DEPARTMENT.
CHIEF REX MUELLER PROVIDED A STATEMENT SAYING “AT NO POINT HAS THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT EVER REPORTED MR. KRASTEL TO THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AS A SUSPECT IN ANY CRIME, NOR HAVE WE ATTEMPTED TO LABEL HIM AS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST” AND “WE WOULD NEVER DEPLOY POLICE OFFICERS IN AN EFFORT TO INTIMIDATE ANY ATTENDEES AT PUBLIC MEETINGS, THAT’S SIMPLY NOT HOW WE DO BUSINESS”.
CAPTAIN CHRIS GROVES HAS COMPLETED AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE ALLEGATIONS MADE ABOUT EMPLOYEES OF THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
GROVES SAYS HE CAN CONFIRM THE STATEMENTS MADE BY CHIEF MUELLER ARE ACCURATE.
IN 2020, CHAD KRASTEL HAD REPORTED CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS TO THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE LEVEL OF SERVICE PROVIDED.
GROVES SAYS THERE WERE SEVERAL MEETINGS ATTEMPTING TO RECTIFY THE ISSUES, BUT KRASTEL CONTINUED TO STATE HIS FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENT.
THERE WERE STATEMENTS MADE THAT MR KRASTEL WAS GOING TO REQUEST THE ASSISTANCE OF A “HIGHER AUTHORITY” OR FEDERAL AGENCIES AND THE FBI WAS MENTIONED. CHIEF MUELLER DID CONTACT THE LOCAL FBI OFFICE TO NOTIFY THEM CHAD KRASTEL MAY CONTACT THEM ABOUT THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THIS WAS DONE AS A COURTESY AND HE ADVISED THE FBI THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD FULLY COOPERATE WITH ANY INVESTIGATION FOR ALLEGATIONS ALLEGED AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT.
CHAD KRASTEL WAS NOT REPORTED TO THE FBI AS A SUSPECT OF ANY CRIME.
GROVES SAYS IT WAS ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE IN THAT THE FBI WAS NOTIFIED THAT CHAD KRASTEL FELT HE HAD RECEIVED INADEQUATE SERVICE FROM THE SIOUX CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY PROVIDED HIM WITH AN AVENUE TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE ABOUT IT.
