Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete accused of sexual conduct with a minor

PHOENIX — An Arizona state senator has been arrested on multiple charges, including counts of sexual conduct with a minor, authorities said.

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According to KPHO and KPNX, Phoenix police arrested Democratic state Sen. Tony Navarrete, 35, of Phoenix, on Thursday after receiving a report about an incident that occurred in 2019.

“Detectives interviewed a juvenile victim and witnesses, and on Aug. 5, developed probable cause to arrest the suspect,” Phoenix police said in a statement obtained by KPNX. “The suspect was arrested and is currently in the process of being booked into jail for multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor, among other charges.”

Update 6:08 p.m. EDT Aug. 6: Navarrette made an initial appearance in court Friday afternoon, according to The Arizona Republic.

In a statement issued Friday, Arizona Senate Democrats said they were “deeply disturbed” by the allegations.

“As Senate Democrats, we stand with all survivors of sexual assault,” the statement said. “These allegations and arrest are serious and deeply troubling. Right now it’s important to allow for due process to take place through our judicial system.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and are anxious for the facts of this ongoing investigation to be revealed.”

Original report: Navarrete, a former state representative who was first elected to the Arizona Senate in 2018 and re-elected last year, tested positive for COVID-19 last week despite being fully vaccinated, the news outlets reported.

In a statement released overnight, Arizona Senate Democrats said: “We are aware one of our members has been arrested and are awaiting further details and for law enforcement to do its job. We will not have further comment at this time.”

As of 2 a.m. EDT Friday, Senate Republicans had not released a statement in reaction to the arrest.

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