CRAWFORD COUNTY - All charges against former Crawford County Public Health Director Gloria Wall were dismissed last week in Crawford County Circuit Court.

Wall had been charged with two misdemeanors-dispensing a prescribed drug without a prescription and possessing or illegally obtaining prescription drugs. To avoid a conflict of interest, the subsitute judge in the case was Vernon County Judge Darcy Rood and the substitute prosecutor was Vernon County District Attorney Tim Gaskell.

Wall’s attorney, Christopher Zachar filed a motion to dismiss the charges on March 1. The motion hearing was set for Thursday, May 3.

On Tuesday, May 1, DA Gaskell filed a motion to dismiss the case. On Wednesday, May 2, Judge Rood filed an order to dismiss the case.

“All charges against Gloria A. Wall in this case have been dismissed,” according to the court record. “These charges were not proven and have no legal effect. Gloria A. Wall is presumed innocent.”

“It’s happy news for me,” Wall said when reached at her home on Wednesday morning.

In the meantime, Cindy Riniker was recently hired as the new public health director. Riniker has spent 24 years in public health and home healthcare in Clayton County, Iowa.

“I want to understand what’s here currently and grow and expand on what Gloria was doing,” Riniker said last Friday, when interviewed at her office.