One week after being arrested and charged with attempting to solicit sex from a minor, former state Sen. Justin Eichorn now faces a divorce.
Brittany M. Eichorn of Grand Rapids filed for divorce Monday in Itasca County, according to online court records. She has requested the proceedings be sealed from the public. Her attorney, Jay Ramos, did not return a request for comment.
The couple has four children, according to Justin Eichorn’s legislative biography. He is listed as representing himself in the divorce proceedings.
The divorce filing comes as federal prosecutors on Monday asked a court to reconsider its decision to release Justin Eichorn from jail and allow him to stay at a halfway house. They argued he had demonstrated a willingness to lie and conceal evidence to investigators.
Justin Eichorn, 40, is a Republican who served in the state Senate since 2016. He resigned from his position Thursday.
Eichorn was arrested March 17 by Bloomington police after he arranged to meet for sex with someone he thought was a teenage girl but was actually a detective, according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested as part of a sting operation that totaled 14 arrests, Bloomington police said.
According to the criminal complaint, Eichorn sent text messages to a phone number from an online ad that was part of the undercover operation. Eichorn asked the officer, who was posing as a 17-year-old, for a half-hour of sex and arranged a meeting.
After his arrest, police recovered a condom and $129 in cash from his car, according to the complaint.
