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Inset: Sen. Justin Eichorn (Bloomington Police Department). Background: Sen. Justin Eichorn speaking on March 11, 2025 (WCCO/YouTube).
A state senator from Minnesota was arrested this week for allegedly trying to meet up with an underage sex worker — who was actually an undercover cop posing as a 17-year-old girl — in what politicians and police are condemning as a “deeply disturbing” case of child solicitation.
“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,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said in a statement and press release on Tuesday announcing the arrest of Sen. Justin Eichorn, 40, on Monday morning.
“I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses,” Hodges said. “We need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.”
Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) — who grabbed headlines recently for his lobbying and support of a “Trump Derangement Syndrome” bill in the Gopher State — is accused of contacting the undercover cop over the phone to arrange a meeting with them on Monday at a location in Bloomington, which is about 10 miles south of Minneapolis. The GOP senator went to meet the purported teen sex worker near the 8300 block of Normandale Avenue in Bloomington, where authorities swooped in and busted him.
“(Eichorn) was observed arriving in the area by pickup truck,” Bloomington cops said in their press release. “Eichorn was arrested without incident outside of his vehicle by uniformed Bloomington Police Officers. … Felony charges of Soliciting Under 18 Year Old to Practice Prostitution are pending from the Hennepin County Attorney’s office.”
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Fellow politicians have spoken out against Eichorn for his arrest and Senate Republicans released a statement on Tuesday that called for him to resign.
“We are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation,” the statement said. “Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family.”
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) said, “The felony allegation against Sen. Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents.”
Taking to X, Rep. Elliott Engen (R-White Bear Township) bluntly wrote, “Resign in disgrace. Prosecute to the fullest. Throw away the key.”
Police said Eichorn was in custody Tuesday after being booked into the Bloomington Police Department jail. He was scheduled to be transported to the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center as he awaits his first court date.
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