Arizona lawmaker arrested, accused of sexual conduct with a minor in 2019

An Arizona lawmaker was arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of having sexual contact with a minor in 2019, authorities said.

Phoenix police investigators only started looking at allegations against state Sen. Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete on Wednesday, Sgt. Andrew Williams said in a statement.

After “detectives interviewed a juvenile victim and witnesses,” they had “probable cause to arrest the suspect, Otoniel Navarrete,” according to the police statement.

The Phoenix Democrat was booked into jail on Thursday on multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor and other charges, Williams added.

“We are aware one of our members has been arrested and are awaiting further details and for law enforcement to do its job,” ​​Senate Democrats said Thursday in a statement, according to the Arizona Republic. “We will not have further comment at this time.”

Representatives for Navarrete could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. It wasn’t clear when he was expected to appear in court or if he had an attorney.

Earlier this week, Navarette said he had tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated.

This is a developing story. Please refresh here for updates.