Aaron von Ehlinger

Aaron von Ehlinger (born Aaron Anson Ehlinger, May 7, 1982) is an American former politician and convicted sex offender who served as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from the 6th district. He was appointed to the House by Republican Governor Brad Little on June 3, 2020, and resigned on April 29, 2021. In 2022, he was convicted of raping a legislative intern,[1] and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime.[2]

Aaron von Ehlinger
Member of the Idaho House of Representatives
from the 6th district
In office
June 3, 2020 – April 29, 2021
Preceded byThyra Stevenson
Succeeded byLori McCann
Personal details
Born
Aaron Anson Ehlinger

(1982-05-07) May 7, 1982
Orofino, Idaho, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Alabama (BA)
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

Early life and education

Von Ehlinger was born and raised in Orofino, Idaho. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Alabama.[3][4]

Career

Von Ehlinger served in the United States Army, where he was deployed to Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. After leaving the Army, von Ehlinger has worked as a substitute teacher and real estate developer. He was appointed to the Idaho House of Representatives by Governor Brad Little on June 3, 2020, filling the seat left vacant after the death of Thyra Stevenson.[3]

Von Ehlinger sponsored a bill to restrict the government's ability to place public art. The bill (HB 311) was presented to the House Revenue & Taxation Committee. He claimed that the government displaying public art was a waste of the taxpayer's money.[5]

Rape conviction

In April 2021, von Ehlinger was accused of "unconsented sexual contact" with a teenage legislative intern.[6][7] Von Ehlinger denied the allegations, stating that the encounter was consensual.[8] The Idaho House Ethics Committee and Boise Police Department later began investigations into the allegations.[9][10] In August 2021, after the allegations surfaced, another Republican house member, Priscilla Giddings, from White Bird, Idaho, exposed Ehlinger's victim's identity on social media, emailing it to constituents, with right-wing blogs subsequently posting the girl's name and her photo online.[6]

It was later reported that Legislature Ethics Committee documents disclosed previous complaints against von Ehlinger for unwanted advances toward female employees; von Ehlinger had been warned about this behavior.[8][11] After the House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to recommend that von Ehlinger be expelled from the House, he resigned from his position on April 29, 2021.[12][13]

On September 25, 2021, von Ehlinger was arrested in Atlanta after returning to the U.S. from Central America, where he had been since May 2021.[14][15] On October 8, 2021, von Ehlinger was arrested on felony charges of rape and forcible penetration after being extradited to Idaho and booked into the Ada County Jail. He was released the same day.[16]

On April 29, 2022, Ehlinger was found guilty on the charge of rape and acquitted on the charge of forcible penetration.[1] On August 31, 2022, Ehlinger was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime. He will be required to serve at least eight years before being eligible for parole, and to register as a sex offender after he is released.[2][17]

References
  1. Terhune, Katie (April 29, 2022). "Former Idaho lawmaker convicted of raping intern". KTVB.
  2. Boone, Rebecca (August 31, 2022). "Former Idaho lawmaker sentenced to 20 years' prison for rape". Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  3. "Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger". Idaho State Legislature. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. Spence, William L. (January 30, 2021). "Idaho Rep. von Ehlinger pardoned for past misdemeanors". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. Russell, Betsy (March 11, 2021). "Idaho lawmaker takes on public art". KTVB. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  6. Rohrlich, Justin (April 18, 2022). "Ex-Republican Lawmaker's Trial for Raping Teen Intern Goes Off the Rails". Daily Beast. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  7. Russell, Betsy (April 16, 2021). "LewTrib: Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger accused of 'unconsented sexual contact' with adult volunteer". The Idaho Press-Tribune. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  8. Boone, Rebecca (April 27, 2021). "Idaho lawmaker accused of rape was warned about his behavior". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  9. Dawson, James (April 16, 2021). "Idaho State Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger Under Ethics Investigation For Alleged Sexual Misconduct". Boise State Public Radio. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  10. Norimine, Hayat (April 23, 2021). "Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger Sexual Misconduct Allegations Being Investigated by Boise Police". Big Country News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  11. Shepherd, Katie (April 28, 2021). "An intern accused an Idaho Republican of rape. He was warned before about his behavior toward women". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  12. Terhune, Katie (April 29, 2021). "Idaho lawmaker accused of rape resigns after ethics committee backs expulsion". KTVB. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  13. Haroun, Azmi (April 29, 2021). "Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger has resigned amid rape allegations". Business Insider. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  14. "Aaron Von Ehlinger was arrested in Central America". CBS2 News. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  15. Dawson, James (October 8, 2021). "Former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger is back in Idaho after extradition from Georgia". Boise State Public Radio. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  16. "Former Idaho Rep. von Ehlinger released from Ada County Jail hours after being booked". KTVB. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  17. Oxenden, McKenna (September 5, 2022). "Former Idaho Lawmaker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Raping Intern". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
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