A Republican state senator was arrested in Bloomington on Monday on suspicion of soliciting an underage girl for sex, police say.
The Bloomington Police Department alleges Justin David Eichorn, 40, of Grand Rapids, solicited sex from a detective posing as a 16-year-old girl online. Eichorn and the detective arranged to meet near the 8300 block of Normandale Boulevard.
Eichorn was seen arriving in his pickup truck at the rendezvous point and was taken into custody just after 5:45 p.m., police said.
Bloomington police forwarded the case to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for charging consideration. As of this publishing, formal charges hadn’t been filed.
“As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with
someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,” Bloomington Police Chief
Booker Hodges said.
Hodges added that he wants the Minnesota Legislature “to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.”
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, called the alleged crime “deeply disturbing.”
“The felony allegation against Senator Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents,” Murphy said.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-Grand Forks, said he had just learned of the incident and will have a comment later.
Eichorn was first elected to the Senate in 2016 and is in his third term.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Discover more from Canvas Home Wholesale.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
