By Tim Eberly
Hill County Attorney David Rice today charged a local man with several drug-related offenses in connection with a February incident in Gildford.
Kenneth Jay Flynn, a Gildford resident, was issued a summons to appear in state District Court on Jan. 2 to face a felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and three misdemeanor charges, including criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, and obstructing a police officer.
For the felony charge, Flynn, 46, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Each of the misdemeanor charges carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine.
The criminal complaint filed in court today alleges that on Feb. 21 at 6 a.m., two sheriff's deputies were dispatched to Flynn's residence after receiving a report that a woman was pointing a gun at her head and was threatening suicide. The woman was on the phone with a sheriff's dispatcher when deputies arrived.
Flynn, who has worked as a real estate agent, met the deputies and explained to them that the woman, who was from Las Vegas, was under the influence of speed and other pills, the criminal complaint said.
A deputy went into the kitchen, where he observed the woman talking on the phone while pointing a .22 rifle at her head, court documents said. The woman told the deputy that she would pull the trigger if he moved closer.
When the deputy calmed her down, the woman explained that she had come to Hill County at Flynn's request and had been there for a week. She said she and Flynn had been up all night using drugs, the criminal complaint said, including marijuana and Xanax.
After several hours, the deputy convinced the woman to give him the rifle. She was taken to the hospital, and the deputy relayed her story to members of the Tri-Agency Task Force. They used that information to obtain a search warrant for Flynn's home.
About six hours later, law enforcement officers conducted a search of Flynn's residence. They found 47 grams of marijuana, located at various places in the house, the criminal complaint said. A total of 693 Xanax pills also were found, the complaint said. A plastic bag containing .82 grams of methamphetamine was found under some folded towels in a basement laundry room, according to the complaint.
Three bongs were also recovered from the living room and the kitchen, and seven marijuana pipes and cigarette rolling papers were retrieved, the complaint said.
Xanax is a prescription drug for anxiety or panic disorders.
At the residence, officers found a package that had been sent to the woman at the address of a business owned by Flynn's family. The woman said she had made arrangements to have 14 grams of meth delivered to the office, and that she and Flynn had picked it up several days before the search of Flynn's home, the criminal complaint said.
In an interview with a member of the task force on Feb. 22, Flynn said he did not invite the woman to his residence and that he was embarrassed about her presence. He said she showed up at his house two days earlier, according to the complaint. Flynn also said he did not know her prior to her arrival, the court document said.
