OLCC board approves interim director amid scandal over diverting rare whiskey

SALEM, Ore. — The board of Oregon's alcohol and cannabis regulatory agency approved its new interim director at a hearing Wednesday as the criminal investigation into the past director moves forward.

It's been a challenging couple of weeks for the troubled Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC).

Executive director Steve Marks was set to resign at the end of the day Wednesday after an internal investigation found that he and five senior managers diverted rare and expensive whiskey for their own personal use.

Craig Prins, who has been inspector general of the Oregon Department of Corrections, will take over as interim executive director after a unanimous approval vote from the board.

Things got heated during the hearing, and OLCC chairman Paul Rosenbaum expressed his frustration with media inquiries regarding the scandal.

"We have not dodged the press - we follow the rules. We follow our attorneys. We follow what we're supposed to. So please, dear god stop asking us to make comments on this - it's inappropriate until now. This is the right forum, this is the right place, this is the right opportunity," Rosenbaum said.

He went on to say that he knew about the state police investigation into the OLCC director back in September, but that he was told the record was confidential.

RELATED | Oregon DOJ opens criminal investigation over OLCC head, others diverting rare bourbon

Interim Director Prins told us he knows he'll be facing some challenges, but he hopes to restore the trust in the OLCC.