Moore police release interview with former state senator

MOORE, Okla. (AP) – Police have released an edited interview from last year that shows a former Oklahoma state senator denying that he took a 17-year-old to a hotel for sex.

The Oklahoman reports that Moore police released the video interview with then-Sen. Ralph Shortey on Tuesday.

The video shows police reading graphic messages Shortey allegedly sent to the victim under a fake name. Shortey is seen denying sending the messages, saying that the two had communicated by phone, but that there were “no sexual intentions that night.”

Shortey admitted wrongdoing in court months later, saying he knew the teen was underage at the time.

A two-term Republican from Oklahoma City, Shortey pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in November. He faces between 10 years and life in prison.