[3][4] Von Ehlinger served in the United States Army, where he was deployed to Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

After leaving the Army, von Ehlinger has worked as a substitute teacher and real estate developer.

He was appointed to the Idaho House of Representatives by Governor Brad Little on June 3, 2020, filling the seat left vacant after the death of Thyra Stevenson.

[9][10] In August 2021, after the allegations surfaced, another Republican house member, Priscilla Giddings, from White Bird, Idaho, exposed Ehlinger's victim's identity on social media, emailing it to constituents, with right-wing blogs subsequently posting the girl's name and her photo online.

[14][15] On October 8, 2021, von Ehlinger was arrested on felony charges of rape and forcible penetration after being extradited to Idaho and booked into the Ada County Jail.