Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from an SPS spokesperson and information from charging documents.
A CoxHealth physician was booked into the Greene County Jail Wednesday morning and faces multiple sexual abuse charges.
Dr. Louis Krenn Jr., who specialized in family medicine at CoxHealth since 2004, is charged with the class E felony of sexual contact with a student and misdemeanor second-degree sexual abuse.
According to online court documents, 48-year-old Krenn is accused of having sexual contact with a Springfield Public Schools student sometime between July 1, 2023, and April 4, 2024. At the time, Krenn was a volunteer of an organization working with SPS on a project or program, the prosecutor wrote.
The second-degree sexual abuse charge stems from Krenn allegedly touching the victim’s breast, a Greene County prosecuting attorney wrote in charging documents.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for CoxHealth issued the following statement:
“We are aware that a CoxHealth physician was detained by law enforcement on Tuesday, April 23, for a matter unrelated to work.
“CoxHealth takes these situations very seriously. It is CoxHealth’s practice to place employees on leave when we are notified of investigations by law enforcement.
“As an organization, we prioritize safety and respect in all that we do.”
According to the CoxHealth website, Krenn attended medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He then completed residency at Cox Family Medicine Residency in 2004. Krenn is currently board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and saw patients of all ages.
If convicted, Krenn faces up to four years in prison under Missouri for the felony charge of sexual contact with a student and up to one year for the misdemeanor sexual abuse charge.
Krenn does not yet have an attorney, according to online court records. He is held on a $50,000 bond.
Charging documents: Krenn volunteered with a company that contracted with SPS
According to the probable cause statement from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, a 17-year-old girl, referred to as “Victim 1,” reported to an officer with the Battlefield Police Department that Krenn offered her money in exchange for images and/or videos of herself and that Krenn had inappropriately touched her at Krenn’s home in Battlefield.
According to the statement, Krenn allegedly offered $50 to the victim in exchange for photos of Victim 1 in a bikini. Victim 1 told investigators with the Missouri Children’s Division that Krenn touched her breasts, back and buttocks. Victim 1 said she asked Krenn to stop when he was touching her, but he didn’t.
Investigators examined Victim 1’s phone and obtained an audio recording file.
According to the probable cause statement, detectives with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office listened to the audio recording, which was a conversation between a person with a female voice and a person with a male voice. The female in the recording referred to the male as “Louis.”
According to the probable cause statement, in the recording the two people discuss whether their relationship is ruined.
“The female told the male that the obsession he had with her was not normal and that he needed to seek help. The male said he was not obsessed with the female,” the detective wrote in the report. “The female stated, ‘do you think any adult wants to spend this much time with me and being all that intense with me? No, the answer is no.’ The male replied, ‘I haven’t felt that way in a long time.’”
In the probable cause statement, the detective continued to describe the conversation on the audio recording.
“The male began crying and stated, ‘I’m sorry (Victim 1)’ and ‘can you give me one more chance,’” the detective wrote, in part. “The male talked about staying home from a vacation to Disney World, saying he chose to spend time with the female instead of his family. The male said he had been looking forward to the time alone with the female for quite some time.”
According to the felony complaint filed by the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, Krenn “was a volunteer of an organization working with Springfield Public Schools on a project or a program.”
Stephen Hall, spokesperson for Springfield Public Schools, said school officials searched SPS records Wednesday and do not have Krenn’s name listed as a volunteer.
“We would have names of anyone who volunteered inside a SPS facility,” Hall said. “We do not have a record of that individual.”
According to the probable cause statement, the alleged incidents occurred in a residence.
A forensic interview with Victim 1 was conducted at the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield on April 5, 2024.
According to the probable cause statement, Victim 1 is from a country other than the United States, the name of which was redacted in court documents.
On April 23, Greene County detectives made contact with a company, the name of which was redacted in the probable cause statement, that placed Victim 1 in a home in the Springfield Public Schools District. This company contracts with Springfield Public Schools to place students from other communities in the Springfield school district.
Victim 1 has since been placed in a home in another community and a different school district, the detective noted in the probable cause statement.
