Chief aide for Lt. Gov. resigns over porn charge

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The chief of staff for Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder resigned Friday after news broke that he has been charged with attempting to provide pornography to a minor.

Kinder aide Eric Feltner, 40, of Columbia, faces two misdemeanor pornography counts stemming from incidents alleged to have occurred a year ago.

A probable cause statement from a Jefferson City police officer says Feltner believed he was contacting a 13-year-old girl over the Internet, but that person really was an undercover officer. Feltner is accused of graphically discussing masturbation and sexual stimulation in the written Internet messages.

Feltner did not immediately return messages left Friday at his Capitol office and two personal phone numbers. The Cole County Circuit Court said Feltner had no attorney representing him yet.

Court documents show Feltner was charged May 21 and a summons was mailed six days later for him to appear at an arraignment June 27. Feltner's charges were first reported Friday by the Democratic-leaning Web site firedupmissouri.com.

Kinder said in a written statement that he first learned of Feltner's charges through inquiries to his office Friday and immediately requested Feltner's resignation.

"At no time was our office notified of this alleged misconduct by a member of my staff," Kinder said. "While these allegations have yet to be proven, I feel that even the appearance of impropriety on such a disturbing scale cannot be tolerated. I have made it clear to my staff that I will not accept even the appearance of this type of troubling behavior by anyone in my office."

Kinder said he asked the Office of Administration to begin an internal review of Feltner's state e-mail account, computer and any other electronic mediums.

According to the charges and probable cause statement, Feltner was using the screen name "thebestinmo" when he contacted what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl using Yahoo Instant Messenger on May 25, 2007. The court documents allege the sexually graphic conversation occurred at 4:14 p.m. on a Friday in Cole County, where Jefferson City is located, but provide no indication of whether a state computer was used.

The court documents allege the second sexually explicit Internet conversation occurred July 5 or July 6, but do not list a specific time of day.

The pornography charges are the lowest level of misdemeanor possible in Missouri, punishable by up to 15 days in jail and a $300 fine.

Feltner's resignation letter to Kinder states that he does not want "to allow the unresolved nature of this situation to be a distraction to the job" of the lieutenant governor. But the letter never specifically describes the allegations.

"In light of the recent accounts being written about me and as someone who understands the perceptions that come as a result, I hereby resign, effective immediately, as your chief of staff," Feltner wrote.

Feltner had worked for Kinder since shortly after he took office in January 2005, initially serving a deputy lieutenant governor and an advocate for senior citizens. He previously was a district director and the 1996 campaign manager for Republican U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, who this year is running for governor. Feltner also directed the state House Republican Campaign Committee for four years.

"Abuse of the Internet is a real and growing problem in our society," Hulshof said in a prepared statement. "These are very serious charges, and I'm confident that our justice system will act swiftly and effectively to address this matter. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife and family."