The Kansas Department of Corrections recently paroled Dana L. Flynn, who served time for the Dec, 22, 1992, Geary County murder of her former lover, committed as she was having an affair with her pastor. Flynn, 63, was released April 10 to post-incarceration status in Johnson County, according to the
corrections department website . Flynn and her brother, 52-year-old Mikel Dreiling, were
each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997 on convictions for first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit perjury. Flynn was the subject in 2022 of "Snapped: Women Who Murder," a
podcast on Oxygen True Crime .
Flynn's former lover was killed using a shotgun as he was out jogging
Authorities said the crimes were linked to the death of Randall Sheridan, 41, who was shot five times with a shotgun as he was jogging on a gravel road a half-mile from his home southwest of Junction City. Sheridan and Flynn were in a custody battle at the time over their then-7-year-old daughter, who had been born after they had a relationship as he was separated from his wife. Sheridan was killed the day he and Flynn were to exchange custody of their daughter for a visit. Dreiling also was convicted in the case of making a terroristic threat. He has been on parole since 2019 and lives in Nevada, according to the corrections department website.
Here's how Flynn's pastor was allegedly involved
Prosecutors said Jerry Rollins, then-pastor of the small, Pentecostal Fountain of Life Church in Salina — which Dreiling and Flynn attended — was Flynn’s lover and mentor. They alleged Rollins suggested to Flynn that Sheridan was an evil man who abused their daughter. Child welfare investigators found nothing to substantiate the abuse allegation. Authorities contended members of Rollins’ church orchestrated and tried to cover up the crime. Rollins was convicted in the case of two counts of aiding a felon. He served in the Kansas corrections system from November 1997 to March 1998, corrections department records show.
Where had Dana Flynn been held?
Flynn had been an inmate since 1997 at Topeka Correctional Facility, except for two days spent in 2004 in custody in Geary County after being taken there for a court appearance, corrections department records show. She was most recently
denied parole in 2023 . Flynn had completed 13 prison disciplinary programs, all between 2012 and 2024, and been cited for two disciplinary violations, one each in 2002 and 2011, the corrections department website said.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
