A Republican state senator facing child prostitution charges involving a 17-year-old boy has surrendered to authorities in Cleveland County.
State Sen. Ralph Shortey was booked Thursday into the Cleveland County Detention Center. His bond was set at $100,000.
He told reporters he had no comment on the charges but would release a statement later.
Shortey faces charges of engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of church. Police in Moore, acting on a tip from the teen’s father, found Shortey and the teen in a hotel room last week.
Oklahoma’s age of consent is 16, but its child prostitution statute applies to anyone under the age of 18.
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