Bodycam shows moment married ex-GOP state Sen, Ralph Shortey, was caught inside an Okla. motel room with teen male prostitute he met on Craigslist
Ralph Shortey, an early Trump supporter was caught Match 9, inside a motel room in Moore, Oklahoma, reeking of marijuana and a backpack of condoms and lotion with a teen male prostitute
The 35-year-old senator was inside with a 17-year-old boy he’d met on Craigslist, they were smoking marijuana and police found condoms and lotion in the room
Shortey first told officers he did not know that the teenager was underage – He then asked the responding officers to prove to him that he was not 18
The police officers were alerted to the room by the boy’s concerned parents
Charged with engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church, Shortey pled guilty to child sex trafficking last week
In custody awaiting sentencing, Shortey faces up to life imprisonment and a maximum of $250,000 in fines
Shortey and his wife Jennifer, have four daughters
Bodycam shows moment conservative Republican state senator, Ralph Shortey is caught in hotel with 17-year-old boy
Officers at the motel room door, ready to knock for Shortey to let them in. They had been tipped the boy’s concerned father
Police in Oklahoma released bodycam footage of the moment officers confronted and arrested a former Oklahoma senator who was found inside a motel room with an underage boy who he had paid for sex, the first time.
State Sen Ralph Shortey was caught in the Super 8 motel in Moore, Oklahoma, on March 9 with the 17-year-old boy. Police had been called to the motel by the boy’s worried family.
Inside, officers found him with Shortey, a married father-of-four, and a stash of marijuana. The 35-year-old was wearing a joke t-shirt with a reference to the bible verse Ephesians printed on it.
Last week, Shortey pleaded guilty to a single charge of felony child sex trafficking and is now awaiting sentencing.
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Okla Sen Ralph Shortey [Left], in a photo with Donald Trump Jr. which he posted to the state Senator’s Facebook page on March 10, a day after the motel incident.
Cops knock and Ralph Shortey, Oklahoma Republican senator opens the door to the room in which he was planning to have sex with 17-year-old boy
Ralph Shortey is seen above in newly-released bodycam footage taken by police on the night they found him inside a motel room with a 17-year-old boy. He is seen opening the door in the early hours of March 9, at 1.06am, with the boy out of sight
He first made contact with the boy on Craigslist by responding to an ad. The pair later spoke on the messaging app Kik. Investigators recovered messages showing he offered to payment in exchange for sex with the teen.
The police officers’ bodycam footage which had been kept confidential until the case was settled and was this week revealed by Fox 25. It shows Shortey sitting on the bed, claiming that he did not know the boy was 17 and asking the police officers to prove it, while the teen is not shown at any point in the footage.
Police officers had been called to the motel by the boy’s family to make a wellness check at the motel. It is not known how they knew where he was.
On arrival at the Super 8 Motel, officers went to the room which Shortey had taken in his name. There was a strong odor of marijuana outside the door, according to the police report.
Shortey says to the officers ‘you’re really freaking me out’. Claiming ignorancethat his date was underage. He asked officers for proof the teen was only 17 even as they assured him that was the case
The motel room had two beds, one of which appeared to have been occupied by the time police arrived
It took the 35-year-old several minutes to open the door. As he claimed to get dressed inside, the officers waited on the doorstep.
One officer yelled: ‘You better hurry up,’ before Shortey finally opened the door.
Once inside, and with the boy out of view, they scolded the politician: “He’s 17!,” one deputy declared.
Shortey replied with a casual “OK,” which appeared to enrage the responding officer who shot back: ‘What do you mean OK? He’s 17!’.
Shortey is seen above in his mugshot on March 15, several days after the raid
Embarrassed, he at first replied: ‘I didn’t know that.’ He then grew more confident and asked: ‘Can you show me that he’s only 17?’
The officer fired back: ‘No I can’t but I can convince you that he is. I could put you in handcuffs and throw you in the back of a car.’
None of them seemed to be aware of who he was when they were in the room.
Later, he said the pair were just talking and that he was trying to help the boy ‘get back on track’.
‘[We were] just hanging out, talking about life. He couldn’t graduate high school, and (I’m) trying to help him get his life on track,’ he said.
Another officer gave admonished him for spending time with the boy.
‘Whatever you are doing, it’s a bad f****** idea. Getting high with a young kid is a bad idea, no matter if they’re 17 or 20. It’s a bad idea.
Ralph Shortey on his way to plead guilty, Nov 30
Shortey pled guilty to a single charge of child sex trafficking. He told police that he used a fake name when he was speaking with the boy.
He was initially facing several charges which included child pornography and engaging in prostitution.
Ralph Shortey and his wife Jennifer [left], have four daughters
Police found Ralph Shortey at Super 8 Motel , alone in a room with a 17-year-old boy, on March 9. The boy’s concerned dad called law enforcement on the predator
It is not known how much money he planned to give the boy or if they ever had any sexual contact. In text messages, Shortey had enquired if the boy was ‘interested in sexual stuff’ in return for money.
He called him ‘baby boy’ and the pair communicated for around a year before the March incident. Responding officers had reported finding an open box of condoms and some lotion inside a backpack in the room.
In custody awaiting sentencing, Shortey faces up to life imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000.
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