BOISE, Idaho — A legislative ethics committee is investigating a rape complaint made against Lewiston Republican Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger.
In the complaint, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Kim Blackburn said the accuser reported that von Ehlinger had taken her out to dinner and then back to his apartment on the pretext that he had forgotten something. That's when the accuser said the lawmaker sexually assaulted her. She said she told him "no" and froze.
Von Ehlinger has denied the allegations and said he didn't break any laws or act inappropriately.
The House Ethics Committee is expected to hold a public hearing on the complaint.
The Idaho House Republican Caucus Leadership released a statement Friday night that they're taking the allegations "very seriously."
"All information made available to us was immediately forwarded to the proper authorities," they wrote. "Ethics is much more than a word to us; it is a commitment to the people of Idaho that we are determined to keep. We will not tolerate harassment of any kind toward our members, staff, or visitors in the Idaho Statehouse."
