Conservative GOP Lawmaker Arrested After Allegedly Hiring 17-Year-Old Boy for Sex
(OKLAHOMA CITY) — An Oklahoma state senator was booked Thursday on child prostitution charges for allegedly hiring a 17-year-old boy for sex, leading to calls for his resignation and a separate internal investigation into his years of work with a youth program.
Ralph Shortey, a 35-year-old conservative Republican who has a wife and three young daughters, surrendered to authorities on charges of engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church. He was released after about two hours on a $100,000 bond.
The allegations led to Shortey's removal from his volunteer position with the Oklahoma City YMCA's Youth and Government program, in which he has been active for 17 years and served as a chaperone on several out-of-state trips, YMCA spokeswoman Brenda Bennett said. She said she was unaware of any allegations of wrongdoing involving Shortey's work for the program, but that the agency is conducting an internal investigation due to the nature of the criminal case.
Acting on a tip from the teen's father, police went to the Super 8 Hotel in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore last week to check on the boy, who was seen going into a room with a man, according to a police report. The officers were told the boy had solicited sex through Craigslist on other occasions and had a history of drug abuse.
http://time.com/4704757/oklahoma-senator-ralph-shortey-child-prostitution/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter
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