Former Idaho Rep. von Ehlinger brought back to Idaho, booked into Ada County Jail
The Ada County Sheriff’s Office arrested former Idaho Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger on Friday afternoon after he was extradited from Georgia to his home state.
Ada County deputies flew to Georgia on Thursday afternoon and returned to Boise the next day with von Ehlinger in custody. He was processed under a “book-and-release” warrant and was released from the jail Friday with no bond, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Patrick Orr said.
Von Ehlinger, originally from Juliaetta, has been charged with two felonies: rape and forcible penetration by use of a foreign object. The charges stem from an incident that took place with a 19-year-old woman who worked at the Statehouse during the legislative session. She filed a complaint with the Boise Police Department alleging that he forced her to perform oral sex on him in March.
Von Ehlinger had arrived in Georgia on Sept. 25 from an unspecified Central American country, according to his attorney, Jon Cox. Cox told reporters on Sept. 29 in his Boise office that his client had been in Central America since May for vacation and potential business interests, although he did not specify what those interests were.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office had issued a warrant for von Ehlinger’s arrest on Sept. 9. Georgia police took him into custody when he landed at the Atlanta airport.
Von Ehlinger resigned from the Legislature in April, shortly after an Idaho House ethics committee recommended unanimously that he be removed from his seat for conduct unbecoming.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 6:08 PM.
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