Canada PoliticsAlberta MLA Mike Allen officially charged: Alleged to have offered $200 for sex with two women
A U.S. prosecutor has decided to go ahead with formal charges against Alberta MLA Mike Allen.
On Tuesday, media outlets reported that the 51 year old Progressive Conservative legislator was arrested as part of a prostitution ring in Minnesota, where he was attending a conference on behalf of the government.
On Friday, he was officially charged with a gross misdemeanor of solicitation of prostitution.
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the police report which sheds some more light on the details of what exactly happened.
A court document alleges that Allen, 51, phoned a number listed on an online erotic ad and arranged for a meeting. It says he took a limo to a motel, not knowing he was actually meeting an undercover female officer.
"The defendant agreed to pay $200 in exchange for sexual intercourse with two women for one hour while wearing a condom," says the statement of probable cause.
"The defendant placed the cash on the counter and began to undress."
The female officer then gave a "bust signal" and other police entered the room and arrested Allen, says the document.
In a statement, released Tuesday, Allen apologized for his "mistake" and resigned from the Conservative caucus and all legislative committees.
"I apologize to my family, my friends, my constituents, my colleagues, my staff, and to all Albertans for the embarrassment I have caused in failing to live up to the standards expected of me and the standards I expect of myself," the rookie MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo wrote.
"I made this mistake as a result of a profound lapse in my personal judgment. It is a mistake for which there are no excuses and for which I accept full responsibility."
[ Related: Alberta premier 'disgusted' by MLA's arrest ]
Allen is to appear in a St. Paul court in late September.
In the State of Minnesota, a gross misdemeanor carries a maximum imprisonment of one year in jail and a fine of not more than $3,000.
[ Related: Alberta MLA Mike Allen should resign from legislature after arrest in prostitution sting ]
While Allen has resigned from caucus, he did not resign from the legislature saying that he will take some time "to reflect on that."
On Thursday, Premier Alison Redford told reporters that she was "disgusted" by the arrest but wouldn't offer an opinion on whether or not Allen should quit.
According to the Calgary Herald's Graham Thomson, Allen doesn't legally have to quit -- even if he is convicted.
These charges, however, will undoubtedly buoy those voices calling on him vacate his seat.
The opposition Wildrose Party has already made that request.
"Mr. Allen has broken the trust of Fort McMurray voters. He promised to represent them with integrity and honour and the people elected him on that basis," Wildrose House Leader Rob Anderson said in a statement earlier this week.
"The fact that he has been arrested in a foreign country while representing his province and community, and has confirmed that he did indeed do what he had been accused of, it is only proper to allow the residents of Fort McMurray to have the opportunity to select a new representative who will uphold the dignity of the office."
(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)
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