Welcome man facing drug charge

FAIRMONT — A Welcome man is facing a felony charge in Martin County.

Gavin Edgar Flohre, 33, has been charged with drug possession in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Aug. 20, an investigator with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office observed Flohre driving a vehicle west on Fourth Street in Fairmont. The investigator knew Flohre from previous contacts, was aware that his driving status was cancelled as inimical to public safety, and was aware he had active warrants out for his arrest.

The investigator initiated a traffic stop and asked Flohre to exit the vehicle. The investigator placed Flohre under arrest.

While checking Flohre for weapons, the investigator discovered a syringe in his front pocket. The syringe was empty, but the investigator observed dried blood inside. In Flohre’s other front pocket, the investigator observed a plastic baggie.

The investigator removed the baggie and discovered inside of it a small amount of a white crystal substance that later tested positive for meth.

A review of Flohre’s criminal history shows a prior conviction for felony controlled substance crime in the fifth degree in January 2018.

Prisons director appointment mishandled

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state audit released this week asserts that Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed the director of the Iowa Department of Corrections in a process that violated state law.

Reynolds named department veteran Beth Skinner as director in June 2019, replacing retiring interim Director Dan Craig, and the Iowa Senate approved Skinner’s appointment in February.

But state law requires the Iowa Board of Corrections to recommend qualified individuals to the governor when a vacancy for corrections director exists, the audit found. That didn’t happen in Skinner’s case, the audit said.

Auditor Rob Sand’s office recommended the board establish procedures to ensure compliance with state law. The corrections department said it would share that advice with its board.

Skinner met the state’s required qualifications for the job, Sand acknowledged in an interview with the Des Moines Register.

“The question is not so much whether it would have made a difference, because I think that’s hard to answer,” Sand said. “It’s a question of doing it the right way or the wrong way. Either we care about following the law and following the rules or we don’t.”