Coventry senator resigns days after being charged with extorting sex from Senate page, video voyeur-

Coventry senator resigns days after being charged with extorting sex from Senate page, video voyeurism

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Once the youngest senator in Rhode Island Senate history, Nicholas D. Kettle resigned Thursday in the face of extortion charges and an unprecedented effort by fellow senators to expel him.

The 27-year-old Coventry Republican tendered his resignation, effective immediately, in a letter delivered to Senate leaders that professed his innocence and slammed the bipartisan effort launched a day earlier to banish him from the legislature.

By 3 p.m., Kettle’s personal belongings had been wheeled from his State House office, his name scraped from the door and his biography erased from the General Assembly website.

“After taking several days to speak with my legal counsel and family members, I have determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me,” Kettle wrote in the statement. “I am grateful for the many individuals who have continued to support me during these difficult times as it is clear that they understand that I am innocent until proven guilty.

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180222/facing-threat-of-expulsion-sen-kettle-quits