Latest news with #BloomingtonPolice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Bloomington police asking for help finding Mississippi woman
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — The Bloomington Police Department is asking for help locating a Mississippi woman who seems to have gone missing while traveling to Bloomington. Savannah Simmons, 35, was reported missing on Wednesday, May 7, when she was believed to be visiting an acquaintance in Bloomington but didn't arrive as expected, the department said in a Facebook post. The post said she spoke to the aquaintence the day after she was supposed to arrive and said she had not yet left Mississippi but it is not known where she is and police have been unable to contact her. 'Savannah is known to have connections to the D'Iberville and Ocean Springs areas in Mississippi. She has previously experienced housing instability,' the post said. According to the post, she is 5 feet 2 inches tall and has brown hair and green eyes. Anyone with information about the location of Savannah is asked to contact the Bloomington Police Department at 309-820-8888. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MAGA Republican Resigns After Being Charged With Soliciting Sex From a Minor
Minnesota state Senator Justin Eichorn resigned from jail on Thursday, after being arrested earlier this week on charges of arranging to solicit a minor for prostitution. The MAGA Republican was arrested on Monday after being caught in a sting operation orchestrated by Bloomington Police. According to law enforcement in the Minneapolis suburb, Eichorn attempted to orchestrate a meeting with what he thought was a 17-year-old girl, but what really a detective, and was arrested 'without incident' when he arrived at the proposed location. Coverage of Eichorn's arrest took on an added level of intensity given that hours before his arrest, the state senator co-sponsored a bill that would make 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' an officially recognized mental illness in the state of Minnesota. ''Trump Derangement Syndrome' means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump,' the proposed legislation read. 'Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior.' Trump Derangement Syndrome may not be a real mental illness — no matter how much Republicans wish it was — but what is a real, codified crime is attempting to pay an underage teenager for sex. 'Governor Walz, I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for District Six, effective immediately. I must focus on personal matters at this time. It has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate,' Eichorn wrote in his resignation. In the criminal complaint against Eichorn, an FBI agent assigned to the Minneapolis Division and the Minnesota Child Exploitation Task Force wrote that in conversations with the undercover detective, Eichorn requested 'a naught pic' of what he believed to be a teenage girl, asking her to send him something with a 'lot less clothes,' and discussed the age of consent with the undercover detective after soliciting the price of various sexual acts. 'During an inventory search of [Eichorn's] vehicle, police located — amongst other things — two Apple iPhones, an unopened Trojan brand condom in the driver side door, $105 cash in the driver side door handle, and $24 cash in the center console,' the complaint reads. Last year, the Bloomington Police Department described the suburb as an 'Orange Jumpsuit District' as opposed to a Red Light District in a Youtube video series on local law enforcement. '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,' Hodges said in a statement after Eichorn's arrest. 'I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses […] We need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.' Lawmakers in Minnesota were decisive in their calls for Eichorn's resignation. Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) told the Star Tribune on Thursday that 'there is a line in the sand […] if you're accused with a felony, I think that's serious enough — our law has distinguished that as a very serious crime. This clearly is a very serious crime, and so we are going to do the right thing as a caucus and we move forward in a very decisive way.'On Wednesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, told reporters that he believed Eichorn should resign. 'When you're in a position of elected office, the bar is higher for you,' Walz said. More from Rolling Stone Vivian Jenna Wilson Rips Elon Musk: 'Definitely a Nazi Salute' Trump Fixates on JFK's Death While Dismantling His Political Legacy 'We're Expecting a Shitshow': Canadian Musicians Grapple With Trump's Threats Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Justin Eichorn resigns as senator after arrest for soliciting a minor
Republican Justin Eichorn has resigned from his position as senator for Grand Rapids following his arrest this week for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor. Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson said he had been notified that Eichorn had tendered his resignation, effective today, and that it had been accepted by Gov. Tim Walz. "This is the right thing to do for his family and the Senate," said Sen. Johnson (R-East Grand Forks). "We are ready to move on and do the important work that needs to be done at the Capitol." The 40-year-old's arrest sparked a flood of calls for his resignation from legislators on both sides of the aisle. He has been charged with one count of attempting to pay for an act of prostitution by someone who is under 18 but at least 16, and federal charges for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Eichorn was arrested following a Bloomington Police sting operation that saw an officer pose as a 17-year-old girl and post advertisements on multiple websites offering prostitution services. Charges filed on Wednesday allege Eichorn made several attempts to arrange a meeting with the girl, even after he was told that she was 17. At one point, Eichorn allegedly messaged the undercover officer: "I think age of consent is 17 when do ya turn 18?" The state senator is also alleged to have asked for pictures of the girl in a "bra and underwear" to "make him feel more comfortable," knowing at that point she was under the age of 18, according to the complaint. When arrested in Bloomington, officers found two cell phones, a condom in the driver's side door, and $129 in cash in his pickup truck. A search warrant on both phones will be conducted, the complaint states. According to state law, the age of consent in Minnesota is 16 years old. However, it's a crime to engage in sexual conduct with anyone under the age of 18 years of age if the person is more than three years older than the person who is at least 16 years old. The federal charges also note it is illegal to hire or offer or agree to hire an individual whom the person believes to be under the age of 18 years, but is at least 16 years old, to engage in sexual conduct. Eichorn served two terms as a state senator for District 5 and now serves in the newly formed Senate District 6. It covers parts of Itasca, Cass, and Crow Wing counties, with Grand Rapids and Brainerd Lakes being the population centers.
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota Senate Republicans on Thursday will move to expel their own member charged with seeking sex from a minor
Minnesota Senate Republicans on Thursday will make a motion to expel their colleague Sen. Justin Eichorn following a federal criminal charge that he solicited sex from someone he thought was 17 , but turned out to be an undercover cop. Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, is charged with attempted coercion or enticement of a minor. Prosecutors said he answered an online ad that was part of an operation targeting sex trafficking by Bloomington Police and other law enforcement. The fallout at the state capitol was swift following his arrest. Senate Republicans called on him to resign, as did other lawmakers across party lines in both chambers. The GOP caucus reiterated that call on Wednesday afternoon. But on Wednesday night, Senate GOP Leader Mark Johnson said they wouldn't wait for his resignation to act and that they would make a motion to remove him from the chamber during the Senate's floor session Thursday. "There is no question that these charges merit expulsion," Johnson said in a statement. "We owe it to the public to hold our members to the highest standards, and this violation of the public trust is so severe we must act. It is my hope that this quick resolution gives Senator Eichorn time to focus on his family." Republicans will need Democrats to join them to clear the two-thirds vote hurdle in order to expel someone. That means 45 members will need to vote yes; Republicans have 33 members and Democrats have 34 members. The GOP has previously tried to expel Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, who is charged with felony burglary in state court for allegedly breaking into her stepmother's home last April . She has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in June and she has resisted calls to step aside. Those efforts didn't advance to a final vote due to procedural setbacks. It is unclear how Democrats will vote on such a motion Thursday. DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy called the allegations against Eichorn "deeply disturbing" but she stopped short of calling for his resignation. According to court documents, he texted the number posted and inquired about the sex acts and the cost. Days after initial contact, police arrested him Monday during an arranged meeting between Eichorn and the purported teenager, during which officers found $130 cash and a condom in his car. The criminal complaint said Eichorn in one text exchange was alerted of the person's age and replied "It's [sic] says age of consent is 16." If Eichorn resigns or is expelled, the balance of power in the chamber would remain unchanged—Democrats will still have their one-seat majority. This story will be updated.
