Former Idaho Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger will not be acquitted or granted a new trial, 4th District Judge Michael Reardon ruled Thursday, and he will be sentenced for his rape conviction next week.
Von Ehlinger’s attorney, Jon Cox, submitted a motion in Ada County Court in early August asking Reardon to acquit his client based on a lack of evidence, and in lieu of acquittal, he asked for a new trial to consider new evidence that was submitted as a sealed affidavit. Cox also argued von Ehlinger’s constitutional rights under the Sixth Amendment were violated because he did not have the opportunity to cross-examine or confront his accuser.
A jury found von Ehlinger guilty of rape in April after a four-day trial. A 19-year-old legislative intern, who is referred to as Jane Doe to protect her identity, said von Ehlinger took her to dinner, then back to his apartment, where she said he sexually assaulted her.
Von Ehlinger represented Lewiston in the Legislature for less than one year. Gov. Brad Little appointed von Ehlinger to the Idaho House of Representatives on June 3, 2020, to fill the seat held by the late Rep. Thyra Stevenson. He resigned from the Legislature following an ethics hearing in the House of Representatives in April 2021. The ethics committee recommended his suspension or expulsion for the alleged conduct.
Von Ehlinger reportedly had a history of misdemeanor violations on his record that were pardoned by the state of Idaho before the rape accusation and conviction. (Lewiston Tribune)
