An Arizona state senator who resigned after being arrested early this month on child molestation charges has been indicted, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The indictment charges Tony Navarrete with six felony counts related to sexual contact he’s accused of having with a boy. He’s charged with one count for alleged contact with a second boy.
Navarrete is a Democrat who represented parts of west Phoenix and Glendale. He resigned from the Senate on August 10. He released a statement that day saying, “I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence.”
The first victim, a now-16-year-old boy, told Phoenix Police detectives that Navarrete molested him starting when he was 12 or 13 years old and continued until he was 15. A police probable cause statement said he admitted the crimes in a phone call with the boy recorded by police.
He was arrested on August 5 and released on $50,000 bond two days later. A prosecutor said at his initial court appearance that he faced a mandatory minimum of 49 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will choose a replacement to serve the remainder of his Senate term.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
