Von Ehlinger convicted of rape

Apr. 30—BOISE — Former Lewiston Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger's yearlong fall from grace ended in handcuffs Friday, when a jury of his peers found him guilty of raping a 19-year-old House intern.

He was found not guilty on a second count of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

The 12 jurors deliberated for more than 11 hours over two days before indicating they'd reached a verdict. They returned to the courtroom shortly after 1 p.m. MDT.

Von Ehlinger, 39, fidgeted slightly before the jury came in, but didn't visibly react as the verdict was read. He was immediately remanded to the custody of the Ada County Sheriff's Office.

The felony rape conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a $50,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 28.

Friday's verdict came exactly one year after the first-term lawmaker resigned his legislative seat, in response to a House Ethics Committee recommendation that he be censured and suspended without pay for conduct unbecoming an Idaho representative.

Like the ethics committee action, the rape and sexual penetration charges stemmed from his decision to take a 19-year-old House intern out on a dinner date on March 9, 2021.

The two went to von Ehlinger's Boise apartment after dinner and had a sexual encounter. Two days later, the intern, identified in court only by the initials JV, told officials the sex was not consensual, that he forced her to perform oral sex and inserted his fingers in her vagina.

Von Ehlinger was the only witness called by the defense during the trial, which started Tuesday. He testified for two hours Thursday, vigorously denying JV's accusations and saying she was a willing participant in the evening's activities.

"She participated in the whole thing," he said.

JV herself testified briefly Wednesday, but the jury was instructed to ignore her comments after she walked out of the courtroom before the defense had a chance to cross-examine her.

As a result, the only direct evidence the jury had regarding JV's version of events came from the nurse she spoke with during a March 11 sexual assault examination.

Defense attorney Jon Cox repeatedly objected to the nurse's testimony, saying it raised serious questions about von Ehlinger's Sixth Amendment right to confront and cross-examine witnesses and 14th Amendment right to equal protection.

During a brief news conference after the verdict, Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts thanked JV for having the courage to come forward and report the assault.

After she came forward, JV — also known as Jane Doe — was repeatedly harassed, both in person and online, by political supporters of von Ehlinger.

That harassment included a Redoubt News story that included her name and photo.

White Bird Rep. Priscilla Giddings, who is currently running for lieutenant governor, was subsequently censured by the Idaho House for posting a link to that story on her Facebook page.

Before serving in the Legislature, von Ehlinger served in the military. He grew up in Orofino but graduated from high school in Whitefish, Mont., where his family ran two motels.

He joined the U.S. Army right after high school and was deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne infantry shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Von Ehlinger first ran for the Legislature in 2020, challenging incumbent Rep. Thyra Stevenson in the Republican primary. Stevenson died of a sudden heart attack shortly before the election, which von Ehlinger won. He was appointed to fill out the remainder of her term, and subsequently won the 2020 general election.

During the first few months of the 2021 session, von Ehlinger was extremely active, sponsoring or co-sponsoring at least eight bills and resolutions and developing relationships with lawmakers in the House and Senate.

However, the House Ethics Committee also noted that he hit on a number of women at the Legislature, including security guards, staff and lobbyists.

That behavior ultimately cut short an otherwise promising legislative career and led to him walking out of an Ada County courtroom Friday in handcuffs.

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.