Former Democratic Lawmaker Busted For Soliciting Undercover Male Cop

USED ISU E-MAIL ACCOUNT TO ARRANGE MEETING TRYST [See update below]
An undercover IMPD officer arrested former State Rep. Brian Hasler (D) for patronizing a prostitute after Hasler allegedly responded to an online ad placed by the male police officer and then offered to pay the police officer $160 for sex when the two met in a downtown Indianapolis hotel lobby. Hasler, who supported opposed a constitutional ban on gay marriage as a state lawmaker, currently works as an assistant to Indiana State University's president for external affairs, which includes lobbying Indiana's state and federal lawmakers. He is married to Maggie McShane, a lobbyist for the Indiana Realtors Association. Fox 59's Russ McQuaid has the story:

Former State Representative Brian Hasler was arrested by an undercover Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer and charged with patronizing a prostitute in a downtown hotel lobby.

Hasler is a special assistant to the president of Indiana State University handling external affairs. The probable cause filed in superior court indicates Hasler utilized his ISU e-mail account to arrange the meeting with the vice officer.

ISU indicated it has no comment on Hasler’s arrest.

The officer advertised on a website offering a message. He reported that Hasler contacted him and negotiated to pay $160 for sex. He also requested photographs of the officer. In the lobby of the hotel Wednesday afternoon, Hasler identified himself to the officer and was placed under arrest.

Hasler served the Evansville area in the state house from 1996 until 2004.


Hasler would be at least the fourth person with statehouse connections investigated for alleged sex crimes in the past few years.

In August, a young man reported that state representative Phil Hinkle paid him to have sex in a downtown hotel. Hinkle admitted to poor judgment. No criminal charges were filed.

Yesterday, I contacted IMPD's media relations office after Matt Stone published a rumor on his blog that a prominent former politician had been busted for soliciting a male prostitute at a downtown hotel. A spokesperson, Catherine Cummings, confirmed a prostitution arrest had occurred, but she refused to release the name of the person to me. She told me that the person arrested was not a politician. She also told me that the arrest did not occur as a result of a sting by the department but rather an investigative tip, which was obviously not the case. After I inquired with Russ McQuaid about the story, he contacted IMPD and was given Hasler's name and the details of his arrest. Thanks for nothing, Ms. Cummings.

This story should tell Indianapolis State Rep. Phil Hinkle (R) just how lucky he is. IMPD could have charged him with solicitation after he responded to a young man's ad on Craigslist seeking a "sugga daddy." Hinkle met the 18-year-old boy, Kameryn Gibson, at the J.W. Marriott where Hinkle was attending the wedding reception for the daughter of a prominent Indianapolis' lobbyist. The young man who hooked up with Hinkle later took up a career as an adult performer for a gay pornographic producer. IMPD swept the Hinkle matter under the rug. Maybe if Hasler had been tied to the corrupt Indianapolis political community he could have gotten a pass as well.

UPDATE: WISH-TV's AJ Colley has a few more details on Hasler's arrest, which occurred at the Omni Severin Hotel:

The undercover officer who posted the ad on a website received a response from Hasler's ISU email account, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in a Marion County court. After receiving Hasler’s response, the officer asked what he wanted.

“Massage or more. Are you DDF/HIV-? Face pic,” Hasler responded, according to court documents. The officer said this meant Hasler was asking if he was disease- and drug-free and HIV negative. He also wanted a picture of the man’s face. In later correspondence, Hasler asked for a photo of the man’s penis.

The men met at 2 p.m. in the lobby of the Omni Severin Hotel, 40 W. Jackson Place. When they confirmed each other’s identity, the undercover officer identified himself as a police officer and arrested Hasler. While searching Hasler, the officer found exactly $160 in cash on him.

This item from WTHI-TV is almost surreal. It looks like Hasler has written a children's book about the ISU Sycamore's mascot, Sycamore Sam, and was scheduled to do a book signing in Terre Haute tomorrow:

Hasler wrote a children's book called "The Story of Sycamore Sam" about how Indiana State's 'Sycamore Sam' became their mascot. He was scheduled to appear at the Indiana State bookstore on Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. for an autograph session.

UPDATE [4:15 p.m.]: The Terre Haute Tribune-Star is reporting that Hasler used his ISU e-mail account to arrange the tryst with the undercover male cop, citing court documents. At Hasler's request, a university spokesperson told the Tribune-Star that Hasler is taking paid vacation time off in the wake of his arrest. Hasler is paid a whopping $116,159 a year. I can't imagine that university officials would not fire him since he was arranging the sexual tryst during the middle of a work day using his official university e-mail account.

Teen At The Center Of Hinkle Gay Sex Scandal Now Working As Porn Actor

It looks like the 18-year-old Pike Township high school student who hooked up with State Rep. Phil Hinkle at the J.W. Marriott after Hinkle answered his Craigslist ad saying he was looking for a "sugga daddy" and offered to pay him $80, plus a generous tip for services rendered, has a new career. Towleroad quotes Kameryn Gibson's talent agency as saying he is now working as a gay porn actor under the stage name DeJuan Diamond for two different studios, Cocodorm and Thugboy. Towleroad has this statement from Gibson's talent agency, Flava Works:

It is no secret that many Republicans are closet homosexuals, while at the same time preaching anti-gay messages and protesting gay marriage. Now with DeJuan Diamond starring online ... Republicans will be able to enjoy the men they love right from the comfort of their home or offices.

Towleroad has some sage advice for Gibson:

Do yourself a favor, and use this brief reprieve from unemployment to get a degree or some vocational training, or just to do some serious thinking about what you want out of life. You've got some breathing room now. Use it wisely, or you'll be back on Craigslist in no time.

UPDATE: WISH-'TV's Jim Shella proves once again what an unethical slimebag of a reporter he is. He reads this blog and gets story ideas but pretends he originated them. He has a story this evening that begins:  "There are new developments this evening in the sex scandal involving State Representative Phil Hinkle (R-Indianapolis.) A pair of pornographic websites are using Hinkle’s name in the effort to attract business. The websites have hired the same male prostitute that he did." "New developments this evening?"--more than 24 hours after the story ran on this blog. Nice, Jim. I guess we know what "24-Hours News 8" means.

JW Marriott Claims Video Surveillance For Hinkle Case Unavailable

The JW Marriott may be Indianapolis' newest and most luxurious hotel, but it claims its video surveillance system hasn't been working--at least as far back as the night when State Rep. Phil Hinkle hooked up with an 18-year-old gay hustler to whom he paid $80 to spend the night with him.

Surveillance video that could shed light on a scandal involving Republican State Representative Phil Hinkle does not exist.

The JW Marriott's head of security said its surveillance system hasn't been working for at least 31 days, though.

That should be reassuring to guests who pay more than $200 a night to stay at the hotel that fashions itself as a "Fresh Take On Luxury." Now does anyone actually believe it is possible that this brand spanking new hotel's surveillance system has been out of operation for the past month? Not that it would matter if there was surveillance video available. The hotel's security tells Fox 59 News that nobody from IMPD has requested surveillance video or any other evidence regarding the Hinkle affair. That's because orders came from the top not to investigate the potential crimes both 18-year-old Kameryn Gibson and the 64-year-old Hinkle accused the other of committing, notwithstanding IMPD's insistence that there is no crime to investigate. If there is no crime to investigate, then IMPD should immediately drop all of the charges against persons it boasted of arresting for prostitution no more than a week before the Star broke the Hinkle scandal.

Next question: When will someone in the media ask Hinkle who paid for his hotel room that night? If he says he paid for it himself, demand he produce a receipt for the room charge. Let's see if Hinkle, other state lawmakers or city councilors report receiving as a gift free accommodations at the JW Marriott.

UPDATE: A Star editorial today calls on Hinkle to resign his office. It reads, in part:

Hinkle argues that he broke no law. That is debatable. And at the least, he certainly brushed the edge of illegality, risking his reputation, credibility and effectiveness as a lawmaker in the process. Whatever forces made him do it, he gambled what he could not afford to lose, and he lost. He should call an end to the damage he has inflicted on himself, his family and his constituents, and step aside.

Hinkle Admits He Paid $80 To Hustler For Hotel Rendezvous But Insists He's Not Gay

State Rep. Phil Hinkle (R-Indianapolis) is now speaking out about his encounter with an 18-year-old gay hustler at the downtown JW Marriott after House Speaker Brian Bosma called on him to resign yesterday. He admits exchanging e-mails with Kameryn Gibson in response to an ad Gibson had posted on Craigslist seeking a "sugga daddy." He admits picking up Gibson, paying him $80 in the car ride on the way to the hotel and entering Room 2610 with him at the hotel. Hinkle insists, though, that he never agreed to have sex with Gibson, never exposed himself to him, never attempted to prevent him from leaving the room or offered him money to stay quiet. Instead, he claims Gibson essentially rolled him by leaving the hotel room with his iPad, Blackberry and $100 cash when he went to the bathroom and later tried to shake him down after he learned he was a state legislator. The Star's Alex Campbell has Hinkle's belated response to the story he first broke twelve days ago:

State Rep. Phil Hinkle admitted Tuesday that he paid a young man $80 to have a good time. But Hinkle insisted he isn't gay and doesn't know why he did it . . .

Hinkle's version of what happened that night in Room 2610 at the JW Marriott hotel differs greatly from the version provided by the young man and his sister . . .

Hinkle's version: He never exposed himself and never offered anything to the Gibsons to keep quiet. Instead, he said, Kameryn Gibson stole those items when Hinkle was in the bathroom.

"These people," Hinkle said, "are lying through their teeth." . . .

Hinkle acknowledged he picked up Kameryn Gibson and drove him to the hotel, giving him $80 in the car. But when they arrived, Hinkle said, they simply made small talk about baseball and the view from the hotel -- nothing further.

"I went to the edge," Hinkle said, "but I didn't fall over the edge."

Hinkle then went to the bathroom, he said. When he came back out, he said Kameryn Gibson was gone -- and so were his money clip, his business card holder, his BlackBerry and his iPad.

Hinkle said he thinks Gibson found out he was a state lawmaker when he looked through the money clip.

After Gibson had left, Hinkle said he spoke with Megan Gibson via his hotel phone. He said she mentioned something about talking to Fox 59 and being offered $6,000.

At that point, Hinkle said, he thought maybe they were extorting him. Hinkle said that his daughter later met with Megan Gibson and retrieved the BlackBerry, as well as his business card holder and state identification.

Hinkle said he never met Megan Gibson in person, and hopes that he and his lawyer will find hotel security tapes that prove she never came up to the room.

Hinkle also forcefully denied Megan Gibson's assertion that Hinkle's wife called and offered them $10,000 to keep quiet.

"Anybody who knows my wife," Hinkle told The Star's political columnist, Matthew Tully, "knows she would not pay $10 to keep a mistake I made quiet, let alone $10,000."

Hinkle said he does not plan to file a police report about the items he alleges the Gibsons stole.

"I got everything back but the iPad," Hinkle said, "and quite frankly, if that makes them feel good, so be it."

For their part, Gibson and his sister, who came and picked him up at the hotel, are standing by their story. Megan Gibson told Campbell that Hinkle is a "liar" and "crazy." She has a point. How many straight men pay young boys to go to expensive hotel rooms with them just to talk? It sort of reminds me of Bill Clinton's famous answer to Phil Donahue's question about whether he ever smoked pot: "I smoked, but I didn't inhale."

If IMPD and the Marion Co. Prosecutor are serious about enforcing the laws against prostitution they so willingly enforce against other citizens, then it seems to me they have an obligation to launch an investigation of the incident. You have Gibson admitting that he was at a minimum working as an escort without a license in violation of a city ordinance. If you go back and check city council records, you will likely find that Hinkle voted to enact the very ordinance in question while he was a member of the City-County Council in order to combat the very activities Gibson and Hinkle admit occurred. Gibson claims Hinkle first tried to stop him from leaving the hotel room and then later offering him money to remain silent. Those actions could be argued to be crimes. Hinkle has accused Gibson, in turn, of theft and extortion. Neither of them look good in this ordeal and both arguably broke the law. It is no surprise then that neither of them are going to file a police complaint against the other.

I also find it curious that the Star continues to leave out of the story the information that I first reported on about Hinkle being at the JW Marriott on the night in question to attend a wedding reception for the daughter of a powerful lobbyist, Pat Kiely, head of the Indiana Manufacturers Association. The guest list at the reception was a Who's Who of Indiana Republicans, including Gov. Mitch Daniels. Persons attending the reception observed Hinkle, who came without his wife, wandering in and out of the reception and spending a great deal of time on his cell phone.

Given the information we now know, Bosma and his Republican colleagues have no choice other than to call on Hinkle to resign. Who could argue that Hinkle's actions were not worse than Congressman Anthony Weiner's inappropriate sextings? Weiner, who is also married, earlier this summer caused a stir when it was revealed that he had engaged in x-rated conversations via Twitter with women and exchanged lewd images of himself with them. Weiner resigned his seat under pressure from House Democratic leaders.

UPDATE: Matt Tully met up with Hinkle at a Starbucks in Kokomo to discuss his predicament. His column today discusses his meeting, including a question he put to Hinkle if he had hooked up with guys before under similar circumstances. "When I asked whether he had previously arranged such encounters, he quickly answered, 'We're not going there.'" That doesn't sound like a denial. The Bilerico Project's Bil Browning earlier claimed that he had been contacted by three men who had claimed to have hooked up with Hinkle at hotels in the past for sex. Browning had requested information from people on hypocritical legislators during this year's debate over the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, a proposal supported by Hinkle. Tully said Hinkle responded to criticism that he is a hypocrite by insisting he had never been a "judgmental Bible thumper." Hinkle blames his action on mental health issues for which he is seeking professional treatment, including years' old issues he had with his father.

House Speaker Brian Bosma Calls On Phil Hinkle To Resign

WRTV's Norm Cox is reporting that House Speaker Brian Bosma has met with State Rep. Phil Hinkle (R-Indianapolis) and other members of his caucus to discuss the front-page expose' in the Indianapolis Star laying out in lurid detail a rendezvous between Hinkle and an 18-year-old gay hustler at a downtown JW Marriott hotel room. Bosma tells Cox his leadership wants Hinkle to resign.

"While the entire House Republican leadership team has compassion for Phil and his family, it is clear that Rep. Hinkle would best serve his constituents and our state by stepping down immediately and returning to private life," Bosma said in a statement.

Bosma claims that Hinkle's presence in the House is a "detriment to the continuing work of the Legislature."

Hinkle apparently isn't taking his leadership's advice. "Hinkle admitted that he made some mistakes but said parts of the newspaper's story are untrue," Cox reported. Hinkle told Cox he has done nothing illegal and won't resign. Hinkle also told the Star that he and his family had earlier decided he would serve through the end of this term and not seek re-election next year. That comports with my earlier reporting that Hinkle was intent on serving out the remainder of his term before retiring when he turns 65 in order to maximize his retirement benefits for twelve years of service in the General Assembly. Bosma told the Star that he would begin the process of removing Hinkle from his committee assignments if he chooses not to resign. Still no reporting from the news media on the obvious question: Why isn't IMPD investigating the case?

UPDATE: I couldn't pass up the opportunity to mention a post on the Indiana Senate Democrat's blog entitled, "Lawmakers consider changes to combat sex trafficking." Apparently, the Indiana Attorney General's office wants the legislature to move quickly to make changes to Indiana law ahead of next year's Super Bowl in February based on testimony the office gave to the Criminal Code Evaluation Commission:

The Office of Attorney General Deputies David Miller and Abby Kuzma presented to the committee information concerning human trafficking for sex. The Attorney General’s Office testified that there are some deficiencies in Indiana law which will make prosecution for aspects of the offense of human trafficking difficult. Because Indiana will be hosting the next Super Bowl, Deputy Kuzma urged the committee to act quickly to move legislation to correct the deficiencies because, as she testified, it has been shown that large events, attended mostly by men, with a party atmosphere, result in increased human trafficking for sex . . .

Deputy Kuzma suggested the following changes be made to Indiana law:


•Criminalize a person who knowingly attempts to traffick a person who is less than 18.

•Insert language that lack of knowledge that the victim was under 18 is not a defense.

•Insert language that consent from a victim who is under 18 is not a defense.

•Amend language in the current law so that any adult who attempts to traffick a person under 18 years of age may be prosecuted. Current statute prohibits “. . .parent(s), guardian(s), or custodian(s). . .” from trafficking a person less than 18.

UPDATE II: The heat on Hinkle is turned up. WISH-TV's Jim Shella reports that House Speaker Bosma has stripped Hinkle from a committee chairmanship in the House and a summer study committee chairman position. Marion Co. GOP Chairman Kyle Walker has also renewed his call for Hinkle to resign.

UPDATE III: We have an answer on the reason IMPD has launched no investigation: The Department says nobody has filed a complaint. And the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office says it has done nothing  because IMPD has not forwarded a criminal complaint to its office. Yeah, there's nothing like the Sgt. Schultz defense: "I know nothing." Here's a clue to IMPD. When your department has credible evidence that a crime has been committed, you have authority to investigate without anyone filing a complaint. It's a practice your department carries out daily in exercising its police powers. As to Prosecutor Curry, you have someone on your staff employed as a grand jury investigator who can convene a grand jury, subpoena witnesses and execute search warrants if you want to learn whether a prosecutable crime has been committed. It's like I've said before and will say again many more times. There are two forms of justice in this county: one for the common folks and one for the privileged elite. Criminal laws are used like a hammer to clobber the little people every day, while the privileged elite can break as many criminal laws as their hearts desire because they have immunity from prosecution.

Was IMPD Ordered Not To Investigate Phil Hinkle?

It's now been a week since the Indianapolis Star published a front-page expose' linking State Rep. Phil Hinkle to a sex for money scandal involving an 18-year-old gay hustler he met on Craigslist and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has not launched an investigation of the allegations laid out in lurid detail in the state's largest newspaper. While the 18-year-old, Kameryn Gibson, furnished the Star with a chain of e-mail communications, corroborating testimony from his sister and cell phone records to prove his meet-up at a hotel room in the JW Marriott, the 64-year-old Hinkle has refused to speak publicly about the allegations other than to insist he was the victim of a shakedown by Gibson and his sister.

If the facts laid out by Gibson are true, they form the basis for several criminal charges, including solicitation, criminal confinement and obstruction of justice. Indeed, Gibson implicated himself in a crime by publicly admitting he initially agreed to let Hinkle serve as his "sugga daddy" for the night in consideration for a cash payment of $80, plus a "healthy tip" for "services rendered." Gibson claims Hinkle first tried to stop him from leaving the hotel room when he got cold feet and then later offered him gifts and money to remain quiet about the encounter. Gibson claimed he slipped into the bathroom and called his sister to come to the hotel room to get him when Hinkle refused to let him leave. As this blog has exclusively reported, numerous witnesses have confirmed Hinkle was attending a wedding reception at the JW Marriott on the night in question sans wife for the daughter of a powerful Indiana lobbyist, Pat Kiely, the head of the Indiana Manufacturers Association. Witnesses say the guest list was a Who's Who of Indiana Republicans, including Gov. Mitch Daniels. One witness says Hinkle was observed spending a lot of time on his cell phone and wandering in and out of the reception.

The fact that IMPD has not launched an investigation given the overwhelming evidence that a crime may have been committed is hard to overlook, particularly given the fact that IMPD was boasting to Indianapolis media only a week prior to Hinkle's rendezvous with the 18-year-old hustler of their undercover sting operations to combat prostitution taking place downtown in anticipation of next February's Super Bowl game, an event renowned for attracting a large number of prostitutes. IMPD told the Star it was using a city ordinance requiring escorts to obtain a license from the city as a means of levying stiff civil penalties against persons engaged in prostitution. The Indianapolis Star carried a gallery of images as an undercover cop first solicited and then later busted a prostitute at a hotel room near Lucas Oil Stadium just blocks from the JW Marriott. And lest we forget that this is the same police department that has cops working undercover to lure men to engage in sex acts in public bathrooms and the showers at local health clubs and makes their arrests a big public production.

The word on the street is that IMPD is not investigating the incidence as a crime by request from higher ups; instead, party leaders are being given time to convince Hinkle to quietly resign his seat and just allow the incident to fade away. Police could have easily obtained video surveillance footage from the JW Marriott that would have confirmed the comings and goings of Hinkle, Gibson and others on the night in question, as well as records confirming whether Hinkle had rented a hotel room. Some observers believe that it is going to take more than a small push, however, to convince Hinkle to resign. To ease his way into retirement, Hinkle apparently wants to hold on to the seat at least through the end of his term when he will be 65 and be able to draw both social security and a larger legislative pension for twelve years of service in the General Assembly. Hinkle's fellow lawmakers were stunned to see him show up at a legislative study committee hearing shortly after the story broke and act as if nothing had happened.

One local reporter told me that he believed Hinkle had "dodged a bullet" because of the intervening stage collapse tragedy at the Indiana State Fair that pushed his story completely off the radar while reporters rushed to get the latest news on the air and in print. Nonetheless, it seems the media needs to be asking Mayor Greg Ballard and IMPD why the City is not investigating the very crime it boasted to area news media that it took seriously and was taking steps to combat in the lead-up to the Super Bowl activities; otherwise, we can only assume what so many of us already suspect: the rule of law doesn't apply to the privileged elite.

Hinkle Was Attending Wedding Reception For Powerful Lobbyist's Daughter At JW Marriott

In a post this morning I questioned why the normally tight-fisted State Rep. Phil Hinkle, who represents a westside Indianapolis district, would be renting a room at the pricey downtown JW Marriott last weekend to rendezvous with a young male hustler he had just met on Craigslist. An observant blog reader has provided an answer to that question. According to the reader, Hinkle was an invited guest for a wedding reception taking place at the JW Marriott for Shannon Kiely, the daughter of Pat Kieley, the powerful head of the Indiana Manufacturers Association and former Republican state representative who chaired the House Ways & Means Committee. Many prominent Republicans were in attendance at the wedding reception, including Gov. Mitch Daniels. This is the account shared by the observant reader:

All Hinkle's activity occurred during the wedding reception at the JW of lobbyist Shannon Kiely, daughter of Pat Kiely, head IMA lobbyist and former State Rep Ways and Means chair.  The reception was 300-400 people in a room full of all Indiana's prominent Republicans (and a few D's too), including Governor Daniels who I think was at a table next to Hinkle.  The fact that he was doing this during the reception just adds another creepiness factor, but I think part of the reason the party leaders seemed to accept the facts as stated about the incident is because they all saw Hinkle at the wedding that afternoon then at the reception and he was doing a lot of wandering around the reception hall and in and out on the phone to the point it was noticeable to some.  Before any of this came out some people actually mentioned it after the reception. 

The reader observed that former Indiana GOP Chairman Mike McDaniel attended the Kiely wedding reception at the JW Marriott. McDaniel, who is the Republican panelist on Indiana Week In Review, made no effort to defend Hinkle during this week's airing of the political round table show that airs on WFYI-TV every Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. The show's number one topic this week was the Hinkle gay hustler scandal. According to the reader, McDaniel, who is a lobbyist at Krieg KeVault where Kiely's daughter also works as a lobbyist, was sitting at the very same table as Hinkle at the wedding reception and was able to observe first hand his activities last Saturday evening. McDaniel made no mention of being at the hotel the same evening as Hinkle, and WISH-TV's Jim Shella, who moderates Indiana Week In Review, made no mention of it in his reporting of the scandal. Gov. Daniels also did not tell reporters he saw Hinkle at the wedding reception last Saturday when he was questioned yesterday about the scandal. The Kiely wedding reception was reportedly the first wedding reception originally booked last year at the new swanky hotel financed in large part with taxpayer dollars.

Star Editorial Weighs In On Hinkle's Poor Judgment

A day after its front-page, career-ending story on Rep. Phil Hinkle's unseemly encounter with an 18-year-old gay hustler at the J.W. Marriott in response to his Craigslist ad, its editors ask Hinkle to either refute the allegations or reconsider his service in the General Assembly:

Hinkle, as reported in The Star on Friday, is accused of taking an 18-year-old man to a Downtown hotel room on the promise of $80 and a tip of up to $60 "for a really good time." The meeting, in response to an ad placed by the teenager on Craigslist, was arranged through emails apparently sent from Hinkle's personal account.

The teen says he tried to back out of the encounter at the hotel after Hinkle identified himself as a state legislator but that the lawmaker refused to allow him to leave. The man says he then called his sister, who confronted Hinkle at the hotel.

This sad situation is a personal and family tragedy. How Hinkle resolves these matters with those who are closest to him is very much his own business.

But as a public leader, he is entrusted by voters with exercising good judgment and maintaining strong integrity. The email exchange alone -- in which it appears Hinkle, among other things, offered the man to "make it worth (your) while in cash'' to meet him in a hotel room -- shows a horrible lapse in judgment.

Editors and reporters at The Star took no pleasure in reporting on the allegations against Hinkle, but the newspaper has an obligation to hold elected leaders to high standards of conduct.

Hinkle needs to hold himself to such standards. Unless he can refute these accusations, and thus far he has not denied them, Hinkle must ask himself whether he can still serve at the level that his district deserves.

The Star says its editors and reports took no pleasure in reporting on the allegations against Hinkle, and I accept them at their word. People who know Hinkle generally have a very favorable opinion of him even if they don't always agree with him politically. I occasionally engaged Hinkle in conversation through e-mails or by the phone, and I always found him to be very responsible and clear thinking. That's why I was so stunned to read yesterday morning's Star article.

Last night, I happened to catch Indiana Week In Review. The show's Democratic panelist, Ann DeLaney, was highly critical of the Star for what she described as sensationalism because of the prominent placement of Campbell's story and the fact it offered too many salacious details of Hinkle's encounter with this 18-year-old boy. I couldn't disagree with her more. If the Star had covered the incident but omitted the e-mail exchanges and the boy's and his sister's narratives of what transpired in that hotel room, readers would have been left thinking it was just a drive-by hit job to destroy the career of a long-time respected politician with whom some at the newspaper might disagree with politically. By offering the full details, the Star allowed the readers to see the boy, as well as Hinkle, for what he truly was. To be sure, the boy is no choir boy. At best, he came across as your garden variety young male hustler looking to make a fast buck off an older man in exchange for sex.

The Star clearly offered Hinkle the opportunity to tell his side of the story and he chose not to do so other than to say he was the victim of a shakedown. What else could he say? Anyone who has ever exchanged e-mails with Hinkle as I have knew the writing style of the e-mails was unmistakably his. Hinkle is a married man with children who has taken public positions against the rights of gays and lesbians. Even if his public views were not at odds with his private actions, the story would have been newsworthy because we expect better from the people who write our laws. The Star had only one week earlier written about how IMPD was cracking down on prostitution in preparation for the next February's Super Bowl event when more than one hundred thousand visitors flood into town for an event renowned for attracting prostitution. Ironically, the prostitute featured in the story being busted during a sweep downtown by IMPD was one who advertised on Craigslist. Soon after I posted on the Star article, an observant reader sent me a photo of the arrested prostitute found on Facebook with a smiling Mayor Greg Ballard, who reported getting his cell phone stolen while attending an NCAA championship game a couple of years ago in Detroit after being rolled by a pick pocket. Until our lawmakers decide to legalize prostitution, they should be expected to abide by the laws against this vice just like everyone else.

My biggest criticism of the Star has been its total refusal to report on the corrupting influence of pay to play on our government. One aspect of the Hinkle story that raised more than a few eyebrows was why Hinkle, who is not particularly known as a big spender, would be renting a room at the J.W. Marriott, the City's newest luxury hotel built with nearly $60 million of your taxpayer dollars by a politically-connected billionaire. The Star's society reporter covered the grand opening gala at which Mayor Ballard and the downtown elite were entertained by Motown sensation Diana Ross. Billionaire Dean White's son said his father gave him an "unlimited budget" for the grand gala that he put on for Indianapolis' elite. The invited VIPs even received free weekend accomodations at the hotel. One can't help but wonder whether the tight-fisted Hinkle had to spring for the full stardard weekend room rate of $229.00 per night for his rendevous with the young man he just met on Craiglist. Perhaps the Star's reporters and editors should be taking a closer look at the relationship of the pay to play crowd with our elected officials and the corrupting influence they are having on them. And does anyone else find it a bit curious that the Star doesn't ask IMPD if it has opened a criminal investigation of the matter? Police could start investigating by looking at the J.W. Marriott's surveillance videos for the night in question and determine whether the hotel's records show Hinkle indeed rented a room at the hotel.

Say It Ain't So, Phil

Facebook image of 18-year-old Kameryn Gibson

I'm totally stunned by this story in this morning's Star detailing how State Rep. Phil Hinkle (R-Indianapolis) and Wayne Township educator met a young man on Craigslist to whom he offered $80 to spend some time with him at the J.W. Marriott last Saturday night and actually met up later with the 18-year-old at the hotel. Alex Campbell has this jaw-dropping story:

Emails shared with The Indianapolis Star suggest that state Rep. Phillip Hinkle -- responding to a local posting on Craigslist -- offered a young man $80 plus tip to spend time with him Saturday night at the JW Marriott hotel.

The emails, sent from Hinkle's publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for "a couple hours of your time tonight" and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."

The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man -- who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old -- says, "I need a sugga daddy."

The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker. He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

When contacted by The Star about the emails, Hinkle, a Republican who represents portions of Pike and Wayne townships, did not contest the emails but said, "I am aware of a shakedown taking place."

Asked what he meant by shakedown, Hinkle would not elaborate. He directed further questions to his attorney.

Hinkle's lawyer, defense attorney Peter Nugent, said he was unable to say what Hinkle meant by a "shakedown." Nugent said he is investigating the situation, but he does not know what happened Saturday. Nugent said he has not filed a police report and does not yet know whether he will.

Asked whether he had seen the emails and the Craigslist posting, Nugent said, "Oh, I've seen some emails, but not all of them." He would not be more specific.

"I'm trying to get to the bottom of everything involved," Nugent said.

On Wednesday, Nugent faxed this "official statement":

"Representative Hinkle is aware of the inquiries by The Indianapolis Star and we are investigating the matter at this time. We request that everyone respect the privacy of the family at this time."

Hinkle, 64, who lists his occupation as coordinator for community partnerships for Wayne Township Schools on the Indiana House website, has been a state lawmaker since 2000. He is best known in the Statehouse for his interest in local government issues. On the website, he also notes he was a co-author of the bill that created the "In God We Trust" license plate.

The young man, Kameryn Gibson, told The Star he posted the Craigslist ad in the "Casual Encounters" section under m4m, which is shorthand for men for men. He used his adopted sister's email address.

The story gets much worse. It says Hinkle's family became involved after the boy's sister came and picked him up at the hotel and even offered the sister $10,000 as hush money. This is bad:

Gibson said he had posted on Craigslist before but had never met up with someone. Knowing he was in a bedroom with a politician, Gibson said, he got cold feet.

"Yeah, I don't want to do this," Gibson said he told Hinkle.

He said Hinkle's response was: "You need to do this, because I came and got you, and I'm not taking you back until we do what we need to do."

Gibson excused himself to the bathroom. There, he called his sister Megan. She said she would come get him immediately.

When Gibson came out, he said Hinkle told him he couldn't leave. Gibson called his sister again. This time, Megan told him to put her on speakerphone.

"I started cussing him," Megan told The Star. She also threatened to call the police and the local media.

"He said, 'I'll give you whatever,'" Megan said.

But when they hung up, Kameryn Gibson said Hinkle grabbed him by the right arm, just below the shoulder. Gibson said it was then that Hinkle grabbed him in the rear, dropped his towel and sat down on the bed -- naked.

When Megan Gibson arrived to pick up her brother, she again threatened to call police and the local media.

Kameryn and Megan Gibson said Hinkle then offered his iPad, a BlackBerry and $100 in cash.

Kameryn Gibson walked past his sister and out of the room as she continued to yell at Hinkle.

"She was still going off," Kameryn Gibson said, "and I was like, 'OK, I think that's enough, I think he gets it.' "

Megan Gibson said that on the drive back, she began receiving a series of calls on the BlackBerry, including one from a woman who said she was Hinkle's wife.

"I was like, 'Your husband is gay,' " Megan said. "And then she was like, 'You have the wrong person.' "

Megan read her the email address: phinkle46@comcast.net.

The line went silent.

"Just for a couple seconds," Megan Gibson said, "and the first thing she said was, 'Please don't call the police.' "

Phone messages left with Hinkle's wife late Thursday were not returned.

Megan Gibson said she then began receiving a series of calls from various family members -- including from Hinkle's son-in-law, demanding that his wife see proof of the emails.

Megan Gibson dropped off her brother then returned to the JW Marriott, where she showed Hinkle's daughter the emails.

Megan Gibson said on her way back, she received another call from Hinkle's wife.

"The first thing she said, she was like, 'OK, we will give you $10,000 not to say anything,' " said Megan Gibson, who said she was now becoming scared. "I was like, 'OK,' and I hung up the phone."

She soon got another call -- from the Marriott hotel. It was Hinkle. Megan Gibson told Hinkle that she had informed his wife and family that he was gay.

Megan Gibson said Hinkle's response was: "You just ruined me."

No, Phil, you just ruined yourself. I guess this explains the e-mail I received from Phil the other day noting a change in his e-mail address. I expect Hinkle's resignation will be announced before the end of the day. This is another reason why doctors should stop prescribing Viagra to their aging male patients.

UPDATE: WISH-TV's Jim Shella is reporting this comment from House Speaker Brian Bosma on Hinkle's problem:

“If the circumstances are as reported, it is an extremely sad and disappointing situation for all of us, especially the families involved. Our next step will be to try to discuss this matter with Representative Hinkle and chart a course from there.”

The Bilerico Project, an LGBT national blog founded by former Indianapolis resident Bil Browning, put out a call earlier this year for assistance in outing closeted Indiana lawmakers who backed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in Indiana. Browning claims in a post this morning that at least three men contacted him after he put out his call claiming they had met Hinkle for sex in hotel rooms before the Star  broke this morning's story:

One of the most frequently e-mailed subjects was Republican representative Phil Hinkle. While none of my correspondents could provide any actual proof, three different men told me they had met Rep Hinkle for sex in an Indianapolis hotel room. All three were able to describe Rep Hinkle's penis in detail and all three descriptions matched, but it just didnt' seem like enough for me to print the allegations.

A google search indicates the story has gone viral on the Internet. Not looking good.

Gov. Daniels is describing the situation as a "family tragedy." He's not yet calling for Hinkle's resignation. “It’s not for me to say. It’s for him and his constituents. It’s just a personal family tragedy,” Daniels said, adding that he was “sad about it.”

UPDATE II: Hinkle is getting a nudge from Marion Co. GOP Chairman Kyle Walker to resign. Walker just released this statement:

"If the allegations are true, this is a very sad situation. I strongly recommend that Representative Hinkle resign his position so that he can focus on his family and not have this situation detract from that or the work that needs to continue in his legislative district."

And another nudge from Indiana GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb who says Hinkle needs to "do the right thing":

Asked if that meant the six-term lawmaker should resign, Holcomb said that he “would word it differently.”

“There’s only a few people who know the facts at this point,” Holcomb said. “I would hope that those that do, and have influence over them, would do the right thing, and I think they’ll know what that is.”

Someone who may want Hinkle's seat is more direct:

While Holcomb did not use the word “resign,” Andy Harris, the Wayne Township trustee and former Wayne Township GOP chairman, said that’s what Hinkle needs to do.

Harris attends St. Christopher Catholic Church with Hinkle, and considers him a friend. Hinkle’s district includes parts of Wayne Township.

The people he has spoken to in Wayne Township, Harris said, are “just shocked and floored.”

“It is not something they expected from Phil Hinkle,” he said. “But if found to be true, he definitely needs to step down... There’s no way I could support somebody running for an elected office doing that to their spouse and their family.”

WTHR's Kevin Rader scored an interview with the 18-year-old Gibson about his encounter with Hinkle last Saturday at the J.W. Marriott. He tells Rader he had a case of buyer's remorse after Hinkle turned out to be a much older man than he had anticipated hooking up with for sex. He says he decided to go public with his story after he learned Hinkle was a prominent state legislator who held anti-gay views. I'll link to the story when it appears on WTHR's website.