SAN ANTONIO – The former president of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association has been formally charged with trying to scare off the city’s first woman fire chief from applying for the job.
Christopher Steele, 58, was indicted Monday on a stalking charge — a third-degree felony that carries a two- to 10-year prison sentence, if convicted.
Steele was arrested May 31 in San Marcos on a Bexar County warrant after San Antonio police say he pretended to be an “independent investigator” and sent numerous messages to then-Deputy Chief Valerie Frausto that caused her to feel harassed and intimidated.
Court documents indicated other command staff members received similar messages, but Steele is only charged with stalking Frausto.
Steele was a controversial figure during his tenure as president of the union representing San Antonio firefighters and paramedics, known for his willingness to go toe-to-toe with City Hall. At the time of his arrest, though, Steele had already been retired from SAFD and the fire union for more than two-and-a-half years.
He did not respond to a voicemail Wednesday seeking comment.
Frausto, who was sworn in as the new SAFD chief on Oct. 31, also declined to comment on the indictment.
>> 10 things to know about new San Antonio fire Chief Valerie Frausto
Instead, an SAFD spokesman emailed a short statement saying “Chief Frausto’s focus remains concentrated on moving the SAFD forward.“
The union’s current leadership has denied any connection to the allegations against Steele. SAPFFA President Joe Jones said in June “this is as insane to us as it is anyone else.”
“INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR”
The accusations against Steele revolve around the city’s search for a replacement for former SAFD Chief Charles Hood, who was forced into retirement in January after an investigation into “vulgar” comments he had made.
After Hood left, Frausto was appointed as the interim deputy fire chief over administrative service. As a member of the SAFD command staff, she was also eligible to apply for the open job as fire chief.
About the time the city opened the application period in March, Frausto received texts and emails that were supposedly from an “independent investigator” hired by another “prospective applicant.” According to court documents, the sender said his name was “Frank” and that he had “encountered some concerning allegations,” to which he asked Frausto to respond.
Those claims included that Frausto had used her previous position as fire marshal to order maximum fines be assessed at an ex-partner’s workplace and that there had been allegations of physical abuse from another former partner.
Frausto later told police she didn’t know what the sender was talking about.
Frausto first received a text message on March 9 telling her to check her email for a message from earlier in the day. In that email, the sender warned that “any information provided and the nature of these allegations will be held in strict confidence and will not be disclosed unless you decide to pursue the Fire Chief position, at which point it may become necessary to further assess these matters.”
Frausto reported the email to the City Attorney’s Office, which sent “Frank” a cease and desist demand on March 13.
The City Attorney’s Office told the sender the city had not retained them to do background checks and that the sender’s email address, which included “goodhire,” implied they worked for the background check company. However, the city’s demand noted that GoodHire had denied any knowledge of “Frank” or his investigation.
On March 16, “Frank” sent Frausto another email demanding a response within 24 hours “outlining your plan of action to address these allegations” and warning that “the clock is ticking.”
Frausto contacted the police that night and made a formal report.
On March 22, she received another message from a new email address showing a news release that the sender claimed would go out to national and local news outlets “within the next few weeks.”
On March 27, Frausto received a text message from a new number showing a template for a similar news release.
Frausto told police she felt intimidated and threatened by the messages and that the sender was trying to coerce her into not applying for the fire chief’s position.
San Antonio police traced the phone numbers back to Steele using Google Voice account information, email addresses associated with those accounts, and internet activity information.
MORE MESSAGES
The documents indicate two other members of the SAFD command staff received similar messages from “Frank.” Their messages included allegations they had paid to have union officials followed, been responsible for mental health breakdowns of firefighters, used offensive speech in front of civilian city employees, and committed sexual harassment.
However, the other command staff members are not named in the court documents, nor did the messages to them appear in the affidavit for Steele’s arrest.
Police also spoke with another SAFD employee who had received a message from “Frank” asking about allegations of abuse in their relationship with Frausto. That employee, who was not eligible for the chief’s job, told police they didn’t know what the sender was talking about as they had never had a relationship with Frausto.
THREE YEARS RETIRED
In his 17 years as SAPFFA president, Steele was known for his willingness to fight city management. Most notably, he led the firefighters in a years-long contract battle that spanned the negotiating table, the courtroom, and the ballot box.
Under Steele, the fire union successfully rallied voters in 2018 to put limits on the city manager’s pay and tenure and to give the union the unilateral power to call for binding arbitration during contract negotiations.
However, that victory soon backfired on firefighters. After the union invoked its new power in 2019, a panel of arbitrators handed down a contract that fell short of what firefighters had hoped. Trying to make up some of that lost ground was the top priority for firefighters in their recent contract negotiations.
San Antonio voters also undid the caps on the city manager position last month.
Steele retired from SAFD as a battalion chief in August 2021, leaving the union at the same time.
He is currently free on bond. His next court appearance has not been scheduled.