From:
Queerty
Police in Moore, Oklahoma are currently investigating why state Sen. Ralph Shortey was hanging out in a hotel room last Thursday with a teenage boy.
A text exchange between Shortey and the teen are central to the investigation, according to The Oklahoman.
Police were first tipped off by concerned relatives of the boy.
On Tuesday, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn acknowledged he’d received a initial police briefing and is awaiting a final report before decides whether to press criminal charges.
According to the prosector, 35-year-old Shortey was questioned Monday by police.
First elected in 2010, Shortey (R-Oklahoma City) has been married to his high school sweetheart since ’02.
On Tuesday, Lt. Kyle Dudley to The Oklahoman:
“On March 9 … officers of the Moore Police Department were contacted in reference to a welfare check at a local hotel.”
“Responding officers found a juvenile male in a hotel room which was also occupied by an adult male. The circumstances surrounding this incident are currently under investigation and no additional information can be released at this time.”
Shortey has proven to be a controversial figure during his time in Senate. Most recently, he infuriated voters by proposing that approved drug laws be undone at the polls in November.
Earlier this year, he advised former state Rep. Dan Kirby, R-Tulsa while embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal at the Capitol. Kirby later resigned after a House investigative committee “commended his expulsion.”
The Oklahoman contacted Shortey on Tuesday afternoon. He said he would have a response later.
