Crime & Safety
Navarrete Indicted On Child Sex Crime Charges
Former state Sen. Otoniel Navarrete was indicted on seven felony counts Friday in Maricopa County Superior Court.
PHOENIX, AZ — Former state Sen. Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete (D-Phoenix) was indicted Friday on several sex crimes by a grand jury in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Navarrete, 35, is charged with one count of child molestation, five counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of attempting to commit molestation, according to court documents. He faces a possible 49 years in prison if convicted.
Naverrete was released from jail Aug. 7 after posting $50,000 bond.
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Navarrete is accused of molesting a child younger than 15 years old, starting in 2017 or 2018, and continuing sexual contact with the victim through June 2020, the grand jury found.
The jury also found that Navarrete attempted to molest another child younger than 15 between May 1, 2018, and Aug. 1, 2019.
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Navarrete, who began representing west Phoenix in the state Senate in 2019, resigned his position Aug. 10 after calls from both sides of the political aisle for him to step down.
He was arrested Aug. 5 after police interviewed an accuser and witnesses, the Phoenix Police Department said in a news release.
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