</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island state senator facing charges of sex extortion and video voyeurism has announced his resignation.

Coventry Republican Nicholas Kettle said in a letter Thursday that he has "determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me."

Senate leaders on Wednesday took the first step in trying to expel Kettle, the Senate's minority whip.

Kettle was arrested last week and charged with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman taken without their consent.

Kettle's resignation letter also says he was disappointed that he was denied due process by fellow Senate members.</s>Rhode Island Senator Nick Kettle is resigning, following charges of extortion and voyeurism -- and a Senate resolution filed that was calling for his expulsion

The Office of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio released the following statement on Thursday afternooon regarding Kettle.

“I believe that the decision Mr. Kettle made today is in the best interests of the Senate and the state. I certainly respect his right to due process, and the proceedings contemplated in the Senate were not being taken lightly. At the same time, the Senate has an obligation to ensure a safe working environment for all who are employed here. The extremely serious allegations against Mr. Kettle, including sexual exploitation of a minor in the Senate page program, are unlike any I have witnessed during my time in the Senate. I am grateful that Mr. Kettle has chosen a path that avoids requiring his colleagues to consider expulsion.”
• Hearing to Expel Kettle from RI Senate Set for Tuesday
• Kettle Charged with Extortion & Voyeurism, Traded Photos with NH Man - Ruggerio Calls for Expulsion
• SEE: Kettle Court Documents—Trading Photos of Genitals, Multiple Women w/ New Hampshire Man
• RI ACLU Urges Senate to Slow Down Rush to Expel Sen. Kettle
• UPDATED: GOP State Senator Kettle Charged By State Police, Chorus of Calls for Him to Resign
• Sen. Kettle Pledged to Quit After Two Terms; Now Running for 4th Term

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.</s>State Senator Minority Whip Nicholas Kettle, R–21, resigned Feb. 22 amid a multitude of legal charges. Kettle was arrested Feb. 16 for two counts of extorting sex from a Rhode Island State House page in 2011 and an unrelated charge of video voyeurism. Kettle was released on personal recognizance on Monday after pleading not guilty, according to the Providence Journal.

Kettle released a statement yesterday regarding his resignation, thanking his constituents for the privilege of seven years of service. “However, I am extremely disappointed in Senate Leadership on both sides of the aisle,” the statement read. Kettle claimed that both Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, D–4, and Senate Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, R–38, did not “understand the importance of due process as a cornerstone of our legal system.”

Bipartisan legislation filed on Feb. 21 to expel Kettle from the Senate was sponsored by Ruggerio and Algiere, among others. Senators are allowed to expel members with a two-thirds vote under Article VI, Section 7 of the Rhode Island State Constitution. This would have been an unprecedented move for the State legislature, which has not expelled a member using Article VI since 1843, according to the Providence Journal. The vote was planned for Feb. 27.

The day before the legislation was filed, American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Steven Brown, in a letter to Senate members, asked that they tread carefully. “Rather than rush an expulsion vote, we believe it is critical for the Senate to first consider the ground rules for this novel process,” the letter read. The ACLU acknowledged the seriousness of the charges brought against Kettle but remained adamant that expelling him immediately could set a dangerous precedent. “I don’t think that the Senate set a very good precedent with the way it approached this issue,” Brown told The Herald. “I remain hopeful that if and when this comes around again, the Senate will take a much more deliberate approach.”

Upon Kettle’s resignation, Ruggerio and Algiere released separate statements. “I believe that the decision Mr. Kettle made today is in the best interests of the Senate and the state. I certainly respect his right to due process, and the proceedings contemplated in the Senate were not being taken lightly,” Ruggerio’s statement read, adding that Kettle’s actions were “unlike any I have witnessed during my time in the Senate.” Algiere’s statement also acknowledged Kettle’s request for due process and asserted that the Senate has “an obligation to provide a safe work environment for all employees.”

According to WPRI, former House Rep. for District 41 Michael Marcello said he is considering running for Kettle’s empty seat in 2018. “I’ve been heartened by the number of people who have encouraged me to run, and I will give it serious consideration,” he said.</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island state senator facing charges that he extorted a teenage Statehouse page for sex has resigned.

Coventry Republican Nicholas Kettle said in a letter Thursday that he has “determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me.”

The move comes a day after Senate leaders, including Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Republican Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, took the extraordinary step of introducing a resolution to expel Kettle, the Senate’s minority whip. No Rhode Island lawmaker has been expelled in 175 years since the state constitution went into effect in 1843.

A hearing on that legislation had been scheduled for Tuesday.

Kettle, 27, was arrested last week and charged with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman taken without their consent.

The page would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged extortion. The Associated Press does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes unless they agree to have their names published. Pages help lawmakers with errands at the Rhode Island Statehouse.

In his letter on Thursday, Kettle said it had been a “privilege” to represent his constituents since he was first elected in 2010.

He added his thanks to people who he said had supported him during this time “as it is clear that they understand that I am innocent until proven guilty.”

“I am extremely disappointed in Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle because Mr. Algiere and Mr. Ruggerio do not appear to understand the importance of due process as a cornerstone of our legal system,” Kettle wrote.

Kettle became the youngest senator in state history when he was elected to represent parts of Coventry, Foster, Scituate and West Greenwich at age 20.</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island state senator facing charges that accuse him of extorting a teenage Statehouse page for sex has resigned.

Republican Nicholas Kettle said in a letter Thursday that he has "determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me."

The move comes a day after Senate leaders, including Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Republican Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, took the extraordinary step of introducing a resolution to expel Kettle, the Senate's minority whip. No Rhode Island lawmaker has been expelled in 175 years since the state constitution went into effect in 1843.

A hearing on that legislation had been scheduled for Tuesday.

Kettle, 27, was arrested last week and charged with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman taken without their consent.

The page would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged extortion. The Associated Press does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes unless they agree to have their names published. Pages help lawmakers with errands at the Rhode Island Statehouse.

In his letter on Thursday, Kettle said it had been a "privilege" to represent his constituents since he was first elected in 2010.

He added his thanks to people who he said had supported him during this time "as it is clear that they understand that I am innocent until proven guilty."

"I am extremely disappointed in Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle because Mr. Algiere and Mr. Ruggerio do not appear to understand the importance of due process as a cornerstone of our legal system," Kettle wrote.

Both Ruggerio and Algiere said in separate written statements that Kettle's decision is in the best interest of the state and the Senate. Both cited the severity of the allegations and their obligation to provide a safe work environment for employees.

"The extremely serious allegations against Mr. Kettle, including sexual exploitation of a minor in the Senate page program, are unlike any I have witnessed during my time in the Senate," Ruggerio said. "I am grateful that Mr. Kettle has chosen a path that avoids requiring his colleagues to consider expulsion."

Kettle became the youngest senator in state history when he was elected to represent parts of Coventry, Foster, Scituate and West Greenwich at age 20.</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. | A grand jury indictment unsealed Monday accuses a Republican state senator of extorting sex from a page in the Senate’s page program.

The indictment was unsealed as Senate Minority Whip Nicholas Kettle was arraigned on two counts of extortion in Providence Superior Court. Kettle, of Coventry, is accused of extorting a male page for sex multiple times. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 personal recognizance.

The news prompted Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio to again call for Kettle to resign immediately. He said he was “horrified and disgusted by these allegations.”

“We in the Senate are deeply shaken,” he said.

If Kettle refuses to step down, the Senate will pursue his expulsion, Ruggerio said. He said he also asked the Senate’s chief legal counsel to conduct an immediate review of the page program.

“We have spoken to most of the pages to ensure that they are aware of their rights in the workplace as well as procedures for reporting anything inappropriate,” Ruggerio said.

Kettle, who’s 27 years old, was indicted last week, but the details of the extortion counts remained sealed over the weekend. State police separately charged Kettle with video voyeurism on Friday, and his lawyer has said he denies any wrongdoing.

The indictment says Kettle extorted the page into sex on two occasions in 2011. The indictment names the page, but The Associated Press does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes unless they come forward and agree to have their names published. The page’s LinkedIn profile says he served as a page from February 2011 to May 2012.

In a statement Monday night, a spokeswoman for the page said he’s “spent the last seven years coming to terms with what was done to him” and is “moving on.” She said he’s now an executive in the music industry in Tennessee and is no longer affiliated with Rhode Island politics.

Kettle, who’s among five Republicans in the 38-member Senate, did not speak to reporters outside court and did not comment on whether he would resign, but his lawyer described the page as a political rival of Kettle’s. State elections records show the page ran against Kettle as an independent in 2014, three years after the extortion is alleged to have occurred.

House Minority Leader Dennis Algiere also has called on Kettle to resign.

Senate spokesman Greg Pare said the Senate page program includes 67 pages, all hired at the recommendation of senators. The pages, who usually range in age from 15 through college age, help lawmakers with errands at the Rhode Island Statehouse. Pare said the page Kettle is alleged to have extorted for sex did not lodge any complaints while he was a page.

One of the Senate’s 38 seats is open, and a special election is scheduled to fill it.

The House runs its own page program. A spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said there have been no complaints about the House program. Mattiello last week designated a former long-term page and current General Assembly employee to serve as a liaison to the House pages in case any concerns arise, spokesman Larry Berman said.

A state police affidavit on the video voyeurism charge released Monday afternoon said Kettle sent naked pictures of his then-girlfriend without her knowledge to a friend in New Hampshire. Zachary Brennan, of Springfield, New Hampshire, then sent back naked pictures of his wife, according to the affidavit.

In addition, police said the friends exchanged images of their own genitals and discussed how to take videos of the women during sex. In one message, Kettle allegedly said he needed to be “stealthy” and asked Brennan for advice.

Brennan did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Police said he admitted exchanging the photos when they searched his house last month.</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Leaders of the state Senate on Wednesday took the first step in trying to expel the Senate's minority whip, who was indicted on charges of extorting a teenage legislative page for sex.

Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Senate to expel Republican Sen. Nicholas Kettle, who was arrested last week and was charged with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading naked photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman taken without their consent.

The General Assembly has not invoked its power to expel a member since the state constitution was adopted 175 years ago, in 1843, according to the resolution. The state constitution says a member may be expelled with the vote of two-thirds of the Senate, which has 38 seats and just five Republican members.

The resolution , co-sponsored by Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Republican Minority Leader Dennis Algiere and other Democratic leaders in the overwhelmingly Democratic chamber, includes a list of allegations of wrongdoing by Kettle, including criminal charges and campaign finance violations he settled in December.

Kettle's lawyer has denied wrongdoing. Kettle, of Coventry, and his lawyer didn't immediately return messages seeking comment on Wednesday.

The resolution is scheduled to be taken up in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. A news release announcing the legislation said Kettle and his lawyer would be offered the chance to present a defense at that hearing. If the resolution passes in committee, it would then be sent to the full Senate for a vote at a later date.

The resolution cites as reasons for expelling Kettle, 27, a "pattern of bad behavior," an allegation of criminal behavior toward a minor member of the Senate page program and "the repugnant nature of the allegations of his behavior." It also cites the appearance of impropriety by a member of the Senate, Kettle's "failure to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct" and the Senate's responsibility to provide a safe work environment to pages.

The Senate's pages range in age from 15 through college age and help lawmakers with errands at the Rhode Island Statehouse.

Kettle became the youngest senator in state history after he was elected in 2010 at age 20. The alleged victim would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time. The Associated Press does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes unless they agree to have their names published.</s>Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - February 23, 2018

Every Friday, GoLocalProv breaks down who is rising and who is falling in Rhode Island politics, business, and sports.

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Email GoLocal by midday on Thursday anyone you think should be tapped as "HOT" or "NOT." Email us HERE.

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Enjoy this post? Share it with others.</s>PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island state senator facing charges that accuse him of extorting a teenage Statehouse page for sex has resigned.

Republican Nicholas Kettle said in a letter Thursday that he has “determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me.”

The move comes a day after Senate leaders, including Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Republican Minority Leader Dennis Algiere, took the extraordinary step of introducing a resolution to expel Kettle, the Senate’s minority whip. No Rhode Island lawmaker has been expelled in 175 years since the state constitution went into effect in 1843.

A hearing on that legislation had been scheduled for Tuesday.

Kettle, 27, was arrested last week and charged with extorting a male page for sex on two occasions in 2011 and with video voyeurism that involved trading nude photos of his ex-girlfriend and a New Hampshire woman taken without their consent.

The page would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time of the alleged extortion. The Associated Press does not identify people who may be victims of sex crimes unless they agree to have their names published. Pages help lawmakers with errands at the Rhode Island Statehouse.

In his letter on Thursday, Kettle said it had been a “privilege” to represent his constituents since he was first elected in 2010.

He added his thanks to people who he said had supported him during this time “as it is clear that they understand that I am innocent until proven guilty.”

“I am extremely disappointed in Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle because Mr. Algiere and Mr. Ruggerio do not appear to understand the importance of due process as a cornerstone of our legal system,” Kettle wrote.

Both Ruggerio and Algiere said in separate written statements that Kettle’s decision is in the best interest of the state and the Senate. Both cited the severity of the allegations and their obligation to provide a safe work environment for employees.

“The extremely serious allegations against Mr. Kettle, including sexual exploitation of a minor in the Senate page program, are unlike any I have witnessed during my time in the Senate,” Ruggerio said. “I am grateful that Mr. Kettle has chosen a path that avoids requiring his colleagues to consider expulsion.”

Kettle became the youngest senator in state history when he was elected to represent parts of Coventry, Foster, Scituate and West Greenwich at age 20.

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Rhode Island State Senator Nicholas Kettle resigns after being indicted on charges of extortion and voyeurism.