PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on Arizona state Rep. David Stringer (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
The Arizona state bar has opened an investigation into embattled state Rep. David Stringer amid growing scrutiny of the Prescott Republican.
State bar spokesman Rick DeBruhl confirmed the investigation on Wednesday but said he was prohibited from disclosing when it began or what investigators are looking into. The Phoenix New Times reported last week that Stringer was charged with sex crimes in a 1983 case in Baltimore that was later expunged.
It’s not clear if Stringer disclosed the Baltimore proceedings when he sought a law license in Arizona, where he was admitted to the bar in 2004.
Stringer has not responded to requests for comment over several days.
DeBruhl says most investigations are finished within 30 days, though some take much longer.
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1:20 p.m.
The Arizona House speaker is suspending the only remaining committee assignment for a state lawmaker under scrutiny for sex charges in the 1980s and his comments on race.
Speaker Rusty Bowers said Wednesday that fellow Republican Rep. David Stringer of Prescott will be removed from the House Government Committee until the conclusion of an ethics investigation. Bowers also says the Ethics Committee will get the resources for a thorough investigation.
The Phoenix New Times reported last week that the 1983 sex crimes charges were later expunged. Stringer lost a prominent position as a committee chair last year after a tape circulated on social media of him saying “there aren’t enough white kids to go around” when discussing integration in schools.
Stringer did not respond to a request for comment.
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