Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete, accused of sexually abusing a boy and attempting to abuse another, was released from custody on Saturday, authorities said.
Navarrete, 35, of Phoenix, was released on a $50,000 bond Saturday morning, KTVK and KSAZ reported, citing the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He was also ordered to surrender his passport, stay away from minors, and, in accordance with Arizona state law, have electronic monitoring put in place, according to KTVK.
If convicted of the charges, Navarrete could face a minimum of 49 years in prison, The Arizona Republic reported.
JUST IN: State Sen. Tony Navarrete, who is accused of sex crimes against two kids, was released on bond earlier today, per MCSO: https://t.co/ChP944tLWk pic.twitter.com/eB4NrsmrVu
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) August 7, 2021
Navarrette, a Democrat who has represented District 30 as a senator since 2019, was arrested Thursday by Phoenix after police received a report about an incident that occurred in 2019.
According to court documents released Friday, on Aug. 4 a 16-year-old boy told detectives that Navarrete put his hand down the victim’s pants and touched him inappropriately, KTVK reported. The boy told authorities that Navarrete allegedly repeated the action several times, the television station reported.
The teen said the boy, who was 14 at the time, said Navarrete had touched him inappropriately when he was around 12 or 13, an alleged set of actions that continued until the victim was 15, KSAZ reported.
The victim was living with Navarrete when the alleged crimes occurred, KPNX reported.
>> Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete accused of sexual conduct with a minor
Navarrete also allegedly touched the upper leg of the victim’s younger brother, according to court documents. The younger teen swatted Navarrete’s hand away, according to the documents.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, both Democrats, have called for Navarrete to resign.
“These are incredibly disturbing allegations,” Hobbs tweeted.
Navarrete tested positive for COVID-19 last week despite being fully vaccinated, KPHO and KPNX reported.
A judge set Navarrete’s bail during a hearing on Friday.
“We have no public comment at this time but want to emphasize the importance of the presumption of innocence in this case,” Navarrete’s attorney, Roland Rillos, told reporters after the hearing.
These are incredibly disturbing allegations. Senator Navarrete should resign immediately. https://t.co/FY1B21zQ8H
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) August 6, 2021
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