Iowa woman films a political ad to warn parents about a ‘dangerous’ candidate. Then her 2017 arrest for child endangerment surfaces: ‘Desperate lies’

A local official from Dallas Center, Iowa, near Des Moines, took part in a campaign advertisement that criticizes a Democratic state senator seeking a seat in the U.S. House. Shellie Flockhart, 55, appears in the spot alongside other women, though the ad does not mention her role as a council member at large. The commercial targets Sarah Trone Garriott, 48, who is challenging Republican incumbent Zach Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.

Flockhart and the other women speak directly to the camera in sequence. They criticize Trone Garriott’s positions related to transgender issues and urge parents to view the candidate as a risk. In the ad, Flockhart is among those who describe Trone Garriott as “just plain dangerous” for kids.

A report published Saturday by The Washington Post pointed to Flockhart’s own past legal case involving children. Court records show she pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges tied to child endangerment and driving under the influence after police said she operated a vehicle while intoxicated with two of her children inside.

Authorities described the 2017 stop, tests, and guilty pleas

Police took Flockhart into custody that year after an officer found her vehicle parked on the grass beside a highway, according to an affidavit in Dallas County District Court filings cited by The Washington Post. Her two children, then ages 8 and 11, were in the car. The officer reported that her speech was very slurred and that she “appeared to have difficulty comprehending” questions. This is not the first time, as seen when parents leave toddlers alone in a car.

A preliminary breath test registered a blood-alcohol level of .254, three times the legal limit of .08, the affidavit states. A subsequent test at the jail reportedly measured .192. Flockhart later entered guilty pleas to one count of child endangerment and one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Both were misdemeanors; she received fines and probation. Other parents have faced reckless endangerment charges after hot car rescue as well.

Flockhart sent The Washington Post a one-page statement. She attached conditions for using the statement that would conflict with the newspaper’s editorial standards. People critical of Flockhart on social media have referenced the 2017 case in recent years.

During podcast appearances last year, Flockhart spoke about her earlier struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. She said she entered rehab, found God, and has since counseled others facing similar issues.

A spokesman for Trone Garriott called the advertisement “disappointing, but not surprising.” The spokesman added, “Zach Nunn and his allies have resorted to desperate lies to try to win this election.” Nunn’s campaign offered no response to The Washington Post. The ad was funded by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that supports Republican candidates, the report said.