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On August 31, an Idaho court sentenced former State lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger to 20 years for the r*pe of a 19-year-old legislative intern. CNN reported that 4th District Judge Michael Riordan had stated the convicted offender will be eligible for a parole hearing in 8 years.
As per Fox, the victim was a 19-year-old intern for a different lawmaker. She accused Aaron von Ehlinger of harassing her during a 2021 dinner. Her identity has not been revealed.
According to CNN, in April 2021, the House of Representatives decided upon the ban of Aaron von Ehlinger from the Statehouse after the allegation of assault surfaced. In April this year, he was convicted of the crime.
Aaron von Ehlinger was a part of the US Army
The Lewiston Morning Tribune reported that Aaron Von Ehlinger, from Orofino, Idaho, was a graduate of political science from the University of Alabama. He officially began his political career in the Idaho House of Representatives on June 3, 2020.
Before becoming a lawmaker, he was a veteran of the United States army, having been deployed to Afghanistan in the 2000s. The Idaho State legislator reported that in the past, he had also worked as a substitute teacher and a real estate developer.
Responses to the conviction of Ehlinger
In response to the allegations, Aaron von Ehlinger said that the interaction he had with 19-year-old was consensual.
Jon Cox, Ehlinger's defense attorney, told KTVB in an interview:
"He is not a deviant monster who is preying on unsuspecting, immature girls. He doesn't lay out in the bushes waiting for young girls to walk by so he can forcibly rape them."
In response to this, Judge Michael Riordan said:
“You have a pattern of explaining, excusing, deflecting and blaming others for the circumstances you find yourself in."
He added:
"You see yourself as a victim and you see yourself as a hero, and frankly I don't see you as either one of those things."
In an official statement, Jan Bennetts of the Ada County Prosecutor's office applauded the victim for speaking out against the former politician.
Bennetts said:
"I want to thank Jane Doe for the courage she has demonstrated in this case. I appreciate the tireless work done by the Boise Police detectives on this case, which allowed my team to ensure justice was served."
In court, prosecutors played the anonymous victim's account of the trauma. People News reported that she had extreme anxiety after the assault, having installed surveillance cameras and security systems.
