ST. PAUL — Former State Sen. Justin Eichorn appears to be changing his plea to guilty for the federal criminal charge of soliciting a minor.
Eichorn filed a notice of a change of plea on Monday, May 11, and a hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday in St. Paul before Judge Eric C. Tostrud.
His trial was set to begin June 1.
Eichorn was charged in March 2025 after a prostitution sting operation in Bloomington, where an undercover police officer posed as a 17-year-old online. The former legislator who represented Senate District 6, including the cities of Grand Rapids and Brainerd, resigned shortly after the criminal charge.
In late April, Eichorn’s attorney filed a notice stating they intended to rely upon the defenses of entrapment and outrageous government misconduct in the trial.
Eichorn had claimed he was singled out for a federal charge because of his status as a public official.
But in November, the judge rejected the defense’s claims of vindictive prosecution and attempts to suppress evidence.
-
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXETwo women, ages 20 and 22, reported the man had not returned to shore. One of the women was transported by ambulance for injuries related to cold exposure. -
Ekaterina Bolovtsova via PexelsMichael Hart pleaded guilty to burglary and assault, the charges he was originally in custody for when he escaped from a corrections facility. -
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host an informational open house in McIntosh on May 13, 2026, for its planned project on Highway 2 from Fosston to Erskine in 2029. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEWith hundreds laid off and bleak economics, Iron Range leaders are warning elected officials to carefully plan their budgets over the next few years. -
Plus: The producers of "Ghost Lake" are filming in a new location after the Bois Forte Band revoked its approval; and one year after Cleveland-Cliffs laid off 600 miners, Iron Range leaders are sounding the alarm on an economic downturn. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEMax Hites had been with Lueken's Village Foods since the store's beginning. Employees and customers joined in celebrating Hites' 60-year career at an open house on May 1, 2026. -
Contributed/Karina Kafka / Report for MinnesotaThe bill’s proposed portal, accessible via the Internet, would provide contractors and subcontractors a place to submit payroll reports, which would be stored in a database for public or state use. -
Contributed/Minnesota Interagency Fire CenterAs "green-up" slowly makes its way north, Minnesota's firefighters remain alert to conditions where wildfires can easily spread due to available fuels and dry weather. -
Contributed/Michele Jokinen / Minnesota House of RepresentativesThe Permanent School Fund uses revenue from the sale of timber, minerals and land on 2.5 million acres of School Trust Lands to fund public school districts and charter schools around Minnesota. -
Heidi Holtan/KAXEWhen infectious and pathological waste is found in any unauthorized refuse center, the facility has to shut down and open an investigation.
