A 19-year-old legislative intern who was raped by a former Idaho politician was found guilty of the crime and received a 20-year jail term.
According to 4th District Judge Michael Reardon, Aaron von Ehlinger must serve a minimum of eight years before being eligible for parole.
About a year after he resigned from his position in the House of Representatives on a recommendation that he be barred from the statehouse, Von Ehlinger was found guilty of felony rape in April.
Von Ehlinger, according to the court, did not demonstrate empathy or regret, and it was obvious that he was not prepared for sex offender treatment.
Reardon said that the punishment will at the very least prevent von Ehlinger from committing another crime while he is behind bars.
Reardon observed that “you have a tendency of justifying, excusing, deflecting and blaming others for the situations you find yourself in.”
The intern informed a statehouse supervisor that Lewiston Republican von Ehlinger had sexually assaulted her at his apartment after the two had eaten together in Boise in March 2021, sparking the start of the inquiry into von Ehlinger’s conduct.
The relationship was consensual, according to Von Ehlinger.
The lady in this case has requested that the Associated Press refer to her only as “Jane Doe” since the organisation typically does not name those who claim to have been sexually assaulted.
Doe was present at the sentencing hearing, and the prosecution played a tape of Doe discussing how traumatised she was as a result of the rape and its aftermath throughout the hearing.
Doe revealed how her liberty was “torn brutally away” in the tape. She said that she sometimes has panic attacks simply from hearing von Ehlinger’s name and that she had to put security systems and cameras outside her house.
After Doe reported the rape, Von Ehlinger’s followers publicly displayed Doe’s name, picture, and personal information about her life and tormented her constantly.
For “the future of any Jane and John Doe here in Idaho,” Doe said that she was speaking up.
“I’m already here. I am afraid and scared here, but I will not allow myself to be coerced into silence so that another rapist may evade the legal system, “In the audio, Doe added.
I’m hoping he decomposes behind those icy metal bars.
Von Ehlinger claimed he was taught in the military to defend people, particularly ladies, and recalled his time as a paratrooper in the Afghanistan War.
“We were taught to stand up for the weak and women in particular to fight against evil and defend the defenceless. I still wholeheartedly believe it now as I did back then “said von Ehlinger.
The American soldier was the only thing separating Afghani ladies from the medieval era, and he subsequently said, “I am really glad that we were able to accomplish that.”
Before his trial, he claimed to have made a pilgrimage to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.
Von Ehlinger remarked, “I was finally baptised in the Jordan River, but I had to confess my sins first. “Honor, I confessed many faults; I am not a flawless man.
However, I was unable to confess to the sin of rape. To admit to a sin I didn’t commit would be sinful.”
However, the court said von Ehlinger had a tendency to place the responsibility on the victim and lacked empathy for her.
Reardon said to the defendant, “You view yourself as a victim and you see yourself as a hero, and honestly I don’t see you as either one of those things.”
“You brought about the events that brought you to this place today.”
In addition, the court gave von Ehlinger a no-contact order that would extend until 2055 and ordered him to register as a sex offender.