Former Minnesota State Senator Justin Eichorn left the federal courthouse in plain clothes on Wednesday.

His exit from the St. Paul courthouse was hours after a hearing in which the judge made two rulings: there is probable cause to move forward to trial, and Eichorn was granted release from jail to a halfway house in the meantime as initially agreed upon.

Eichorn is charged with attempted coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in Bloomington last week on suspicion of soliciting sex from someone he thought was a 17-year-old girl — in reality, it was an undercover officer.

The hearing followed allegations from prosecutors in court documents filed over the weekend that Eichorn, in part, tried to obstruct the FBI’s investigation from jail by arranging for someone to retrieve a laptop from his St. Paul apartment before it could be searched. After that court filing, the judge temporarily denied an earlier agreement to release Eichorn to a halfway house, leading to the detention hearing on Wednesday.

The defense, on Wednesday, revealed that the person who communicated with Eichorn about the laptop was his wife— who has filed for divorce.

After two hours of testimony from an FBI special agent and debate over the interpretation of two phone calls between Eichorn and his wife and the motive for retrieving the laptop, the judge concluded there was “a lot of grey area,” and will remain that way until investigators are able to do a complete search of the laptop and its contents.

Documents also say FBI agents found an iPhone that had recently been wiped of all of its information at that apartment.

While on the stand Wednesday, an FBI agent said the phone may have been reset in late February — before Eichorn’s arrest — but that date could change.

In the end, prosecutors leaned on a handgun and ammunition found in Eichorn’s apartment as the primary reason to keep him in jail, saying he lied about it during a pretrial interview and that alone makes him a flight risk and a public safety risk.

The defense said it was a “misunderstanding” and argued that the conditions of GPS monitoring and the halfway house are enough to ensure public safety and that Eichorn would show up to court.

Given the testimony, the judge agreed those conditions were sufficient, also citing his lack of criminal history and longstanding ties and family in Minnesota.

“The point is there is a lot of grey area here,” she said before the ruling, noting her right to call another detention hearing if future evidence were to change her mind.

If convicted, Eichorn faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

Those court documents filed over the weekend also said FBI agents found an iPhone that had recently been wiped of all of its information at that apartment.

While on the stand Wednesday, an FBI agent said the phone may have been reset in late February — before Eichorn’s arrest — but that date could change.

RELATED: Special election to replace former Sen. Justin Eichorn set for April 29

Also on Wednesday, members of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) elected Sen. Robert Farnsworth of Hibbing to replace Eichorn as the Chair. Eichorn’s seat on the Board is also vacant following his resignation. Whoever wins the special election to fill his seat in the State Senate will serve on the Board.

You can find KSTP’s full coverage of the case here.