Lawmaker charged with child prostitution filed odd bills
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Republican state senator charged with child prostitution once proposed a bill to prohibit the use of human fetuses in food and spent 17 years working with a program that introduces young people to government.
Sen. Ralph Shortey, who was elected to represent part of the Oklahoma City area, planned to resign Wednesday after being accused of soliciting sex from a 17-year-old boy, according to his attorney.
Joe Dorman, a former Democratic state representative who was active in the same youth program, said the 35-year-old lawmaker was “peculiar” and “a little quirky.”
“But in politics, you see all kinds of personalities,” Dorman said. “But I would have never expected this.”