Iowa Council Member Who Called Democrat a "Danger to Kids" Pleads Guilty to Child Endangerment
A local official in Iowa, Shellie Flockhart, has been arrested for child endangerment, a charge she pleaded guilty to. Flockhart, a council member at large in Dallas Center, Iowa, appeared in a recent political ad denouncing Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D) as "just plain dangerous" for kids. The ad, paid for by Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC working to elect Republicans, focuses on Trone Garriott's stance on trans issues.
Flockhart's past is marred by an incident in which she was arrested for driving under the influence with her two children, then ages 8 and 11, in the car. According to court records, a responding officer reported that Flockhart's speech was slurred and she had difficulty comprehending questions. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol content of .254, three times the legal limit, and a test taken at the jail showed a .192 level. Flockhart pleaded guilty to child endangerment and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and was ordered to pay a fine and placed on probation.
Flockhart's detractors have brought up her criminal history on social media, and she has acknowledged her history of drugs and alcohol addiction in podcast interviews. In a statement to The Washington Post, Flockhart's response to the news organization's request for comment came with conditions that would violate The Post's editorial standards. A spokesman for Trone Garriott called the ad "disappointing, but not surprising," saying that Nunn and his allies have resorted to "desperate lies" to win the election.
