Ariz. lawmakers say legislator poses safety risk
Web Producer: Rikki Mitchell
PHOENIX (AP) - Democratic legislators want House colleagues to take seriously what they say are potential security risks from a recently turned independent lawmaker who faces domestic violence charges and ethics accusations.
Rep. Katie Hobbs said former Democratic Rep. Daniel Patterson exhibits classic signs of a potentially violent abuser by refusing to accept responsibility and blaming others while losing control of his situation.
House Minority Leader Chad Campbell said the only reason he didn't move to expel Patterson is because majority Republicans blocked an expulsion motion Wednesday.
The House on Wednesday instead accelerated Patterson's ethics case, and Speaker Andy Tobin has restricted Patterson's access to secure areas of the House.
Patterson denies wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in court. He insists he's no danger to anybody at the Capitol. He was absent Thursday.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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