Eichorn resigns from State Senate ahead of first court appearance

Now-former State Senator Justin Eichorn has resigned his seat less than an hour before the Senate was supposed to vote on a motion to expel him, according to KSTP.

Eichorn is set to make his first court appearance Thursday. He is charged with soliciting sex from a minor.

“I am extremely saddened by what has come to light this week with former Senator Eichorn. I am relieved that he resigned his seat, but I was ready to vote to expel him if we needed to do that,” said Sen. Robert Farnsworth (R-Hibbing) in a statement Thursday. “The allegations were incredibly difficult for those who knew him, but nothing compares to what his family is going through. Before you post something on social media, please think about whether that’s something you would want his children to see, not just today, but years later down the road.”

Eichorn has been charged federally after investigators say he tried to hire someone he thought was a 17-year-old for sex. The criminal complaint says he responded to an ad posted by undercover law enforcement as part of a sex trafficking operation earlier this month.

He is due to appear before U.S. Judge Shannon Elkins at the Federal Courthouse in St. Paul.