Had a Bad Day

[EdF]

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/10/10312007_Curtis-resigns-from-Legislature.cfm

Curtis resigns from Legislature

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
BY JEFFREY MIZE and KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writers


State Rep. Richard Curtis, whose claim of being the victim of an extortion scheme resulted in disclosure of raw details about his sexual behavior, resigned from the Legislature today.

In a statement released by the Republican caucus, Curtis, R-La Center, said "Today I submitted my letter of resignation to Gov. (Chris) Gregoire effective immediately. While I believe we've done some good and helped a lot of people during the time I served in the Legislature, events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people. I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused.

“This has been damaging to my family, and I don't want to subject them to any additional pain that might result from carrying out this matter under the scrutiny that comes with holding public office,” Curtis' statement said.

"I am very disappointed by the news reports of the conduct by Rep. Curtis last week in Spokane," according to a statement from House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis. "After discussing this matter with House Republican leaders, he has submitted his resignation, which we feel is best for everyone involved.

"The troubling details continue to emerge, however, (and) it has become clear that he can no longer effectively represent the constituents who elected him. We pray that Richard and his family have the strength and support they need to meet the personal challenges they face.”

A retired fire captain and two-term legislator, Curtis has been feeling the glare of the spotlight since Monday, when it was disclosed he was involved in an incident in Spokane last week with a 26-year-old man. According to a report filed by Spokane police, Curtis met the man at a porn store in the Spokane Valley, and later had sex with him in a downtown hotel room. The man, Cody Castagna, claims he was promised $1,000 for unprotected sex.
Curtis was in town attending a pre-session retreat for Republican legislators. He denied being gay or having sex with Castagna in an interview earlier this week. But a police report on the incident said Curtis had told investigators that he'd had sex with Castagna, though not unprotected and not for money. Curtis was also seen participating in a sex act with a different man at the porn shop, while Curtis was wearing women's undergarments.

KXLY-TV is reporting that Spokane City Attorney Howard Delaney said Wednesday morning that he intends to review police reports in the attempted blackmailing of Curtis to determine whether or not Curtis should face solicitation charges.

Delaney confirmed that once the Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker's office has done its review of police reports detailing the blackmail case that he would look at the case to determine whether or not Curtis solicited Castagna for sex.