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Flaspohler enters race for county prosecutor

Will run as an Independent against Republican incumbent Deborah Riekhof

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 8/9/22

Fayette attorney Frank Robert Flaspohler will run for Howard County Prosecuting Attorney as an Independent. He will take on Republican incumbent Deborah Riekhof in the general election on November 8.

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Flaspohler enters race for county prosecutor

Will run as an Independent against Republican incumbent Deborah Riekhof

Posted

Fayette attorney Frank Robert Flaspohler will run for Howard County Prosecuting Attorney as an Independent. He will take on Republican incumbent Deborah Riekhof in the general election on November 8.

Flaspohler turned in a petition with more than 100 signatures on Monday, August 1, to be included on the November ballot. 

If he wins, Mr. Flaspohler said that he plans to make the prosecutor’s office more effective and run more efficiently. 

“I’ve done criminal defense work for the last 12 years,” Mr. Flaspohler said. “A lot of times, cases drag out for a long time. I think we could move the cases along a lot quicker, for both victims and for the people who commit the crimes. I see that happen a lot. I think with some efficiency and better management…we could get cases processed a lot faster.”

Mr. Flaspohler also said that if he wins, he would be committed to keeping the position of prosecuting attorney part-time. Last year, Mrs. Riekhof discussed with the Howard County Commission the option to ask voters to make the prosecutor’s job a full-time position due to the caseload. The current salary of the county prosecutor is $51,480 per year. The commission ultimately decided not to place the measure on the ballot because the county could not afford the change. Mrs. Riekhof told this newspaper that she decided then not to further pursue the matter. She ran unopposed in the August 2 Republican primary.

Part of Mr. Flaspohler’s current practice includes criminal defense. Switching to a prosecutor would limit what law he could practice. Like other part-time prosecutors, he could still help clients with regard to real estate and family law.

Mr. Flaspohler said that if elected prosecutor, he would like to explore alternative sentences such as drug courts and “circle sentencing.”

“There’s an ongoing drug issue going in here in Howard County boiling under the surface,” he said. “Those people need more than just, ‘we’re just going to sentence you to 30 days in jail, and you can go about your way.’ There are institutional systems such as drug court, domestic violence court, veterans courts. There are alternatives to the court system.” 

Mr. Flaspohler said these alternatives reduce recidivism and ultimately further satisfy all parties involved. “I think the outcomes can be a lot more positive for the community.”

 In addition to his law practice in Fayette, Mr. Flaspohler has for 10 years served as an adjunct instructor in criminal law and political science at Central Methodist University, and works occasionally as an EMT with the Howard County Ambulance District. He also owns and is restoring several buildings around the downtown square.

If elected, Flaspohler would be the third member of his family to serve in county politics. His father, Frank Flaspohler, Sr., served as Howard County Coroner for 28 years until November 2020. His uncle, Charles, is in his 11th term as Circuit 14 Clerk Ex-Officio Recorder of Deeds. He will retire in January after 44 years on the job.

Mr. Flaspohler holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, College of Law. A life-long Howard County native, he and his wife, Kathryn, live with their five children on a small farm outside of Fayette. He previously ran unsuccessfully for prosecutor as a Democrat in 2010, losing Mrs. Riekhof 1,977 to 1,646.

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