Ex-Republican state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger of Idaho was found guilty of raping a 19-year-old legislative intern.
A 12-person jury found the 39-year-old von Ehlinger guilty of one felony count of raping the now 20-year-old woman, identified only by the initials J.V. in court, according to the Idaho Stateman. Von Ehlinger was found not guilty of a second felony count of forcible penetration with a foreign object.The jury's guilty verdict comes exactly one year after the Idaho House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to recommend expelling von Ehlinger from the legislative body.
J.V. claimed von Ehlinger raped her after going on a date with the lawmaker, taking her back to his apartment, pinning her down, and forcing himself upon her. Von Ehlinger was accused of having forced her to perform oral sex and masturbating on her but denied wrongdoing, claiming his sexual contact with the woman was consensual, and pleaded not guilty.
J.V. testified Wednesday that von Ehlinger had placed his hand between her legs as she closed her legs. The woman then ended her brief testimony, explaining that she could not"do this" as she walked out of the courtroom. Judge Michael Reardon with the 4th District Court later instructed the jury to strike J.V.'s testimony.
"She never once gave me any indication that she was not wanting to participate," von Ehlinger claimed during his testimony Thursday.Von Ehlinger is scheduled for sentencing July 28. He faces a sentence of anywhere from one year to life in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender under Idaho law.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Jon Cox, von Ehlinger's attorney, for a statement but did not receive a response back.