The Director of Montana’s Department of Corrections had few details on last week’s firing of the warden at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge when state lawmakers asked him about it Monday.
Director Reginald Michael updated the Legislature’s Law and Justice Interim Committee on the dismissal of Michael Fletcher, who was hired last spring. Michael reminded the committee that Fletcher was within his one-year probationary period as warden
"Former warden Fletcher did some wonderful things," Michael said, "but there were some concerns that I could not ignore, and I had to pay attention to. And I had some conversations with the governor about those concerns, and it was simply not an appropriate relationship to continue moving forward."
Director Michael said he wants to preserve the confidentiality of Warden Fletcher’s dismissal for legal reasons. He said the Department of Corrections is preparing to search for a new warden at Deer Lodge.
