PHOENIX — A mistrial was declared Monday in the criminal trial of a former Arizona lawmaker who's been accused of sexually abusing minors.
Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete, who had represented the west Phoenix area until shortly after his arrest in 2021, was facing a lengthy prison sentence if he had been found guilty of multiple felony charges in Maricopa County Superior Court.
But the jury was not able to reach a verdict on all the charges, resulting in the judge declaring a mistrial.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a statement that it "will take the necessary time to review the decision in this case and determine a course of action.”
Criminal charges were filed against Navarrete in 2021 after police obtained a confrontation call between Navarrete and an alleged victim which included the defendant acknowledging that "bad actions" had occurred.
"Clearly I'm not happy with any of my actions ... But these are actions I have to live with the rest of my life,” Navarrete said in the recorded call.
Navarrete was elected in 2016 to the Arizona Legislature as member of the Democratic Party. Following his arrest, members of both parties pressured Navarrete to resign from representing District 30.
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