Arizona Democrat Tony Navarrete resigns after arrest on child sex abuse charges

Lawmaker placed on leave from role as community liaison for religious group

Arizona state senator Ontoniel “Tony” Navarrete denied he sexually abused two young brothers despite police allegedly recording him apologising for molesting one of the boys.

The Arizona Democrat resigned following his arrest on multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor, saying he would "pursue all avenues" to prove his innocence.

Police arrested Mr Navarrete after secretly recording a conversation in which an alleged victim asked the lawmaker why he had molested him, according to the arrest report obtained by The Washington Post.

He responded that he "wasn’t well” and allegedly used a Spanish term of affection to say "I’m sorry, mijo".

"I regret any bad actions that I did, absolutely wishing everything could be different," he allegedly said.

The now-teenage victim alleged to police a day earlier that Mr Navarrete performed oral sex on him several times from the age of 12 or 13, and attempted to have sex with his younger brother, according to the arrest report viewed by 12 News.

The second-term senator resigned his post representing west Phoenix on Tuesday, citing the "serious" charges he’s facing.

"I adamantly deny all allegations that have been made and will pursue all avenues in an effort to prove my innocence. In doing so, I will be focusing the vast majority of my time and energy on my defence," he said in a statement sent to media.

"While I would love nothing more than to continue to serve the families of Arizona’s 30th District, I worry it will be impossible to give my constituents the full attention they deserve."

Mr Navarrete faced pressure to resign following his arrest, ending the 35-year-old’s legislative career that began in the Arizona House in 2016.

In a bipartisan joint statement, Arizona’s Republican Senate President Karen Fann and Democratic Senate leader Rebecca Rios said Mr Navarrete’s resignation was "the right thing to do considering the serious allegations".

"We know that the Arizona Judicial Branch will deliver justice and pray for healing and support for all victims,” the statement said.

Mr Navarrete’s employer, Neighborhood Ministries, a Christian organisation with the mission to provide "a safe place for youth", said he would be fired when his leave ends.

The agency’s executive director Jeremy Wood said in a statement to Arizona Central that there was no firm end date for the post-arrest leave of Mr Navarrete, who was their community liaison for two years.

Mr Navarrete previously worked as deputy director at nonprofit Promise Arizona, which advocates for building Latino and immigrant political power.

Promise Arizona executive director Petra Falcon told local broadcaster 12 News that Mr Navarette had not been on the payroll "for several years" but that he provided updates on legislative issues.

He is due in court on Thursday after being released on bail over the weekend. Prosecutors said at last week’s hearing that he faces a minimum 49-year prison sentence if convicted.