By Mary Jo Pitzl | Arizona Republic
Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete resigned his state Senate seat Tuesday afternoon in a brief letter to Senate President Karen Fann.
The resignation is effective immediately, Fann said.
The resignation ends a five-year legislative career for the Phoenix Democrat, who has represented a district that stretches from west-central Phoenix to Glendale.
It comes five days after Navarrete was arrested on seven felony charges related to child sex abuse, and follows days of a torrent of calls for him to step down from the seat he was re-elected to last fall.
In a written statement to Fann, with Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios copied, Navarrete wrote simply, “Effective immediately, I am officially resigning my post as Arizona State Senator for District 30.”
