March 19 (UPI) -- A Republican Minnesota state senator is facing federal charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Justin Eichorn, 40, of Grand Rapids, co-authored a state bill to classify "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as a mental illness.
Eichorn, who is married and has four children, was arrested Monday in Bloomington, about 20 miles from St. Paul.
On March 12 and 13, Bloomington detectives carried out a multi-jurisdictional "sex trafficking juvenile demand suppression operation," according to the arrest report.
Related
The purpose was to identify individuals who offer to hire girls under the age of 18 for commercial sex.
Law enforcement had placed advertisements for commercial sex on at least two websites commonly used in adult and juvenile human trafficking schemes.
The ads included photos of a woman who said she was 18 and located in Bloomington.
On March 12, Eichorn made initial contact with a number listed in an online prostitution ad placed by Bloomington police. The conversations contained on March 13.
Eichorn told the undercover officer that he wanted quick sexual contact of a half hour, according to an arrest report."The undercover officer sent a photo depicting a clothed female's cleavage," the report said. "The Suspect continued, 'Got anything with lot less clothes?'"
The person said she was 17, according to the report.
"It says age of consent is 16 ...... over 18 is in a position of authority over you like a teacher or friends parent," Eichorn allegedly said.
On Monday, Bloomington police arrested Eichorn outside his truck, where they found two cellphones, a Trojan-brand condom and $129 in cash.Eichorn was booked into the city jail before being taken to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center. Eichorn was listed in the jail Wednesday with a $75,000 bond pending his first court appearance.
Felony charges of soliciting under 18-year-old to practice prostitution are pending from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
"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 in a news release. "I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses. The recent case involving Michael Gillis who was arrested in Bloomington is a prime example of why we need stronger penalties. We need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously."
The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus demanded that Eichorn resign.
"We are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation. Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family," the caucus said in a news release Wednesday.
Democrats have a one-seat majority in the 34-33 Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a Democrat, told WCCO-TV "the felony allegation against Sen. Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents."
Earlier this week, Eichorn and four other state senators proposed a bill that would add "Trump derangement syndrome" to the state's definition of mental illness.
The bill said it is "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of [Trump]." Symptoms include "verbal expressions of extreme hostility" against the president, and acts of aggression and violence toward his supporters and symbols.
Eichorn, who works at his family's outdoor store in Grand Rapids, was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2016.
