A Democratic Arizona state lawmaker stepped down from his post on Tuesday, five days after being arrested on charges of allegedly engaging in sex with a minor.
State Sen. Tony Navarrete resigned “effective immediately,” according to copies of his resignation letter shared by local reporters.
“Effective immediately, I am officially resigning my post as Arizona state senator for District 30,” Navarrete wrote in a brief message addressed to Republican Senate President Karen Fann.
He notified @FannKfann, Senate Minority leader @Rios_Rebecca and Dem Chief of Staff Jeff Winkler in a one-sentence email from his campaign email address pic.twitter.com/4eYQvUkBek
— Julia Shumway (@JMShumway) August 10, 2021
ARIZONA STATE SENATOR FACES 6 CHILD MOLESTATION FELONIES, DECADES IN PRISON IF CONVICTED
Officers with the Phoenix Police Department arrested the now-former lawmaker after receiving a report about the alleged conduct between him and a male juvenile dating back to 2019.
The 35-year-old Navarrete was arraigned on Friday for three Class 2 felonies for sexual conduct with a minor, one Class 4 felony for attempted sexual contact with a minor, and two Class 6 felonies for sexual conduct with a minor. Navarrete did not enter a plea in his initial court appearance.
Multiple lawmakers from both parties called on Navarrete to resign following his arrest and initial court appearance.
“This was the right thing to do considering the serious allegations,” Fann and Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios said in a statement Tuesday. “We know that the Arizona Judicial Branch will deliver justice and pray for healing and support for all victims.”
Both the House and Senate Democratic caucuses also called on Navarrete to resign following his arraignment.
“The circumstances and serious nature of the felony charges faced by Senator Navarrete provide an untenable distraction from his role as an elected official and public servant for District 30,” the two said in a joint statement. “Abuse of this kind is intolerable and our hearts go out to the victims. He should do the right thing for all involved and immediately resign from the Legislature.”
Navarrete denied the allegations against him on Tuesday, though he said he worried it would be “impossible” to serve the constituents of District 30 considering the circumstances.
“I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence,” he said in a statement. “I will be focusing the vast majority of my time and energy on my defense.”
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Now that Navarrete’s seat is vacant, Gov. Doug Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs will be notified to begin the process of finding his replacement, Fann and Rios said Tuesday.
Navarrete, ordered to be held on a $50,000 bond, is scheduled to appear again in court on Aug. 12. He faces a minimum of 49 years in prison if he is convicted on all charges.
