In the category of last things I ever expected to read on a Monday afternoon, consider the case of one Ernie Tichenor, former COC trustee from 1997 to 2009. According to various sources Ernie allegedly solicited a 13 year old girl in suburban Washington DC, where he also now resides, for sex.
Ernie “was” that most interesting and (somewhat) rare type of SCV political animal; an elected official that got elected as a registered Democrat, which occurred for Ernie in 1997 with the help of deceased Democratic activist Roberta Gillis, who had also helped her Democrat husband Ron get elected to the COC board earlier.
When I first met Ernie in 2000 he was quite nervous. A rumor had spread that Congressman Buck McKeon had decided he could NOT tolerate any elected Democrats in the 25th District (even nonpartisan offices like COC board) and that he would recruit and fund someone to oppose Ernie in 2001. Ernie dealt with this (probably untrue) rumor first by writing several guest editorials in the Signal wildly praising then President Bush, and eventually changing his party affiliation to Republican.
For many years Ernie cobbled together a living as a part time faculty member at several CSU’s and community colleges. When full-on Democrat Jonathan Kraut opposed Ernie in 2005 for the COC seat he called into question whether Ernie could vote on Chancellor Van Hook pay rises and promotions without a conflict, since it was alleged that she helped him secure his faculty appointments through her own networks.
Ernie always struck me personally as an affable sort, and his small stature and Irish heritage brought to mind a leprechaun, but as this story indicates can we ever know what darkness lurks in someone’s heart?
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Hard to believe he would knowingly solicit a 13 year-old . . . but stranger things have happened. Witness the football coach in Ohio who is accused of molesting the young boys he was supposed to be mentoring http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/sports/ncaafootball/penn-states-paterno-is-not-a-target-in-sexual-abuse-inquiry.html and the recent story in the L.A. Times about the Boy Scouts covering up for child predators. http://www.latimes.com/la-me-scouts-molest-story,0,207035.htmlstory
Ohio? Is this new juicy gossip or do you mean Penn State which is also know as Pennsylvania State?
On behalf of all natives of Pennsylvania and former fans of PSU, I encourage this rumor.
Sorry -
Sandusky = town in Ohio
Jerry Sandusky = former coach at Penn State
leprechauns are creepy
Don’t go down the cereal aisle!
They’re waiting.
This guy is like the Herman Cain of the SCV.
There is a difference between a grown woman and a thirteen year old girl.
This is True.
Apples – Herman’s actions if true make him a douchebag.
Oranges – Ernie Tichenor actions if true make him the scum of the earth.
By no means am I attempting to exonerate this guy, but the few details that are out are making me question what is really happening.
According to most of the stories (and why KHTS, the Signal, SCVNews didn’t catch this in August when he was first arrested is a bit of a question I have… but I digress) he was arrested after the mother of the 13 year old girl found emails that her daughter received. Also, there is mention of postings on Craigslist soliciting “Dominant handsome professor for naughty young student” and seeking a “College girl in need of $$$$$.” Neither of those details show me where his intent was to prey on underage girls.
From the details presented, it would appear that he posted on Craigslist and the alleged victim responded to his posts. If that is the case, is it not entirely possible that the victim had possibly misrepresented herself?
Seems possible, if not probable. It’s still creepy, sure, but there’s a world of difference between the most and least charitable reading of the events as we know them.
I gotta go with you on this one. Unless we can see that the guy knew she was 13… flip the coin it could have very well been a 50 year old man posing as a college age. One thing is sure… as Mike said Creepy.