Rhode Island state Senator Nicholas Kettle (R-Coventry) was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of video voyeurism and extortion.
Kettle, 27, has served in the Senate since first winning election in 2010.
Asked about the allegations underlying the voyeurism charge, State Police Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Philbin said, “Basically, he transmitted pornographic pictures of his girlfriend without her permission electronically.”
Kettle was arrested at his family’s business in Richmond and will be held over the weekend at the state prison pending an appearance before a Superior Court judge.
Philbin declined comment on whether there’s a connection between Kettle’s arrest and media reports indicating that investigators were looking at the student page program at the Statehouse. He declined comment on the basis for the two counts of extortion.
Kettle’s lawyer, Paul DiMaio, did not return a telephone message seeking comment Friday.
In a statement, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio called on Kettle to resign: “It is deeply troubling that a member of the Senate has been indicted on charges of video voyeurism and extortion. Based on what we know at this time, I believe that Mr. Kettle should resign immediately. I will reserve further comment until the indictment is unsealed and we have additional information.”
The respective chairmen of the state Democratic and Republican parties, Joseph McNamara and Brandon Bell, also called on Kettle to resign.
The deadline to stage a special election, if Kettle were to resign, has already passed.
This story has been updated.
