Aaron von Ellinger, 39, was found guilty in Hell County Court on rape charges and acquitted on charges of forcible intrusion using a foreign object, according to court documents.
The victim, then a 19-year-old trainee MP, accused von Ellinger – then a 38-year-old Republican – of having sex without her consent in March 2021 after taking her to dinner. Von Ellinger resigned in April 2021 after a state committee of the House of Representatives heard the trainee’s allegations and unanimously recommended that Von Ellinger be reprimanded and stripped of his powers without pay. He was indicted in the case later that year. The woman was at the witness stand during the trial against von Ellinger this week, but left the courtroom while telling details of the attack, CNN’s KIVI reported.
“I think it was a human reaction when she ran out of the room,” Caitlin Farley, Hell County Deputy Attorney General, told a news conference on Friday. “I don’t think anyone could have a human reaction.”
Hell County Attorney Jan Benets said von Ellinger’s sentence sent a message that “victims can be trusted and that it is important to reduce barriers to victims’ expression.”
Von Ellinger said the sexual contact was by mutual consent. John Cox, von Ellinger’s lawyer, did not comment on the case when he turned to KIVI. Cox also did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on Friday.
A hearing on von Ellinger’s sentence is scheduled for July 28, according to online court records. The maximum penalty for rape in Idaho is life imprisonment, Bennets said.
The appeal filed with the court concerns the prosecutor only with her initials. CNN does not identify victims or alleged victims of sexual violence without their consent.
Von Ellinger first took office in June 2020, when the governor of Idaho appointed him to fill a vacancy in the state. He was then elected for a full term in November 2020.
CNN’s Kyleen Chesie contributed to this report.
Add Comment