PHOENIX — A former Arizona lawmaker who resigned amid an ethics investigation into his remarks on race and a report that he was charged with sex crimes in the 1980s announced on Friday that he is running for the office of Yavapai County attorney.
David Stringer resigned from the Arizona House of Representatives last year. He faced likely expulsion from the House.
Police and court documents obtained during the House investigation show Stringer was accused of paying for sex with underage boys in Baltimore in 1983. One of the boys was disabled, the documents say.
The charges were later expunged from his record.
Stringer addressed the charges in the statement announcing his run Friday night. He claimed – as he had during the ethics probe – that it was a “false arrest,” that he never pleaded guilty and he was never convicted.
Stringer did not, however, address the controversial comments he made on race and immigration while in the legislature.
He made national headlines in 2018 when he called immigration an “existential threat” to the U.S. and complained about the growing number of minorities in the state.
Stringer said in the announcement that if elected as Yavapai County attorney, he would take a “fresh approach to criminal justice.”
“I want to find alternatives to jailing the small fry, and make room for violent predators, habitual offenders, and those who prey on the most vulnerable in our community,” the statement said.
During his time in the legislature, Stringer was often at odds with his colleagues on criminal justice reform.
For example, he voiced opposition to legislation that put restrictions on underage children marrying and also sponsored a bill that would allow sex offenders to potentially no longer need to register as sex offenders after 10 years.
