Sgt. Nevada Krinkee Remembered As Proud Family Man, Leader And Role Model

SHERIDAN — No job was too small for Sheridan Police Department Sgt. Nevada Krinkee.

Last October, he paid a visit to Sagebrush Elementary School where he helped pin up on a bulletin board awards given to young students for being “kind, respectful, responsible or helpful.”

In the photos posted by his colleagues at the department to a Facebook page for the police, a smiling Krinkee can be seen with the young students who were beaming from one ear to the other.

“Congratulations to the students receiving the awards and great job to all students for a wonderful start to the school year,” wrote someone with the department on the post.

Krinkee’s patience with the kids is visible the five photos — different poses, different kids. He’s smiling in all.

The word “Champion” is emblazoned in the middle of the bulletin board behind him. One student pictured with Krinkee has rolled up a yellow piece of paper between his two hands, twitching it between his fingers like kids do.

Krinkee is smiling — as he is in all of the photos — with his shades pushed up to the top of his head. He looked cool in his uniform.

Justin Rohrer, principal at Sagebrush Elementary, said he was shocked to hear of the news of Krinkee.“

He stopped by one Friday and I tossed him a stapler, and said, ‘Hey, start recognizing the kids.’ And so he did a great job. Students receive tickets every week,” he recalled of Krinkee’s visit.

“Oftentimes, we have Sheridan police officers around our school, unannounced. And he stopped by, and I said, 'I need your help,'” Rohrer said. “He’d ask them what they did to deserve this award and high-five them.”

The community is in shock, he said.

“Sheridan is a community where everybody knows somebody that knows that person," he said. " It definitely hit home.”

Every child felt special on Oct. 23, 2023, when the sergeant visited.

The people who commented on the post were parents or others who were just proud of this message.

The boy twitching the paper got comments like, “Yay,” and, “You the man!”

At the time of the visit, Krinkee had a newborn infant at home with his wife, Karla, also still with the Sheridan department.

What was he thinking then? Maybe about how one day his child would be in school getting similar recognition from a local police officer?

He’ll never know, as his life was cut short.

‘Reat Easy Brother’

On Tuesday, Krinkee died in front of a home at 58 5th St. when William Lowery, 46, reportedly shot Krinkee to death, then fled the scene. The suspect later took cover in a house owned by a Sheridan woman near the corner of 7th Avenue and North Sheridan Street. Lowrey died at the scene 32 hours later after a prolonged standoff. Police shot and killed him when he attempted to flee the scene.

Lowery reportedly shot Krinkee while he was trying to serve a trespass notice Tuesday morning at the rental house from which Lowery had been evicted one day earlier by a judge’s order.

There has been an outpouring of support for Krinkee from across the Sheridan community.

Police officers have visited his vehicle, which is parked out in front of the Sheridan Police Department, placing flowers and brief messages. One says, “Rest easy brother.”

Jim Fletchall, one of Krinkee’s neighbors, told Cowboy State Daily that they didn’t know each other very well, but that Krinkee was a “good guy, good neighbor.”

“He was a pretty measured fellow,” said Fletchall, adding that he and Krinkee would smile and wave at each other over the alleyway fence that separates their homes.

But last summer when Krinkee’s wife was approaching their baby’s due date, Krinkee was beaming, Fletchall said.

“He was just so happy,” the neighbor recalled. “You could tell he was just so excited about having a child.”

Krinkee’s elated state continued after the baby’s birth. Fletchall remembered his wife saying, “He was just beaming.”

Fletchall said a parade of about 15 police vehicles from various Wyoming agencies rolled past Krinkee’s house with their lights on Wednesday while the standoff was still ongoing.

Fletchall wasn’t sure what exactly the procession was for, but he had a theory about why it passed the house.

“They were paying (his wife) respect, I believe,” he said.

Brother In Arms

Bryce Allen Parker served in the same U.S. Army battalion as Krinkee.

Parker hadn’t spoken to Krinkee in years, then was saddened to see the news of his death. Parker Krinkee’s professionalism and leadership left a lasting impression on his comrades in arms.

“He was always a completely stand-up guy, quiet but really nice,” Parker told Cowboy State Daily. “All of his guys deeply respected him. There was no back-talking Sergeant Krinkee.”

Like so many, Parker was shocked when he heard Krinkee had been killed in the line of duty.

“To catch that guy off guard, it would have had to have been pretty surprising,” he said.

Parker extended his condolences to Krinkee’s family, remembering him as an excellent leader and skilled soldier.

“He always left good impressions wherever he went,” he said. “And I'm sure I'm not alone in saying those things.”

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Pat Maio can be reached at pat@cowboystatedaily.com, Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com and Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.