Another confused/hypocritical GOPer gets fingered after voting against his bros!
"In 2005 and 2006, Curtis voted against a bill that granted civil rights protections to gays and lesbians.
In 2007, Curtis voted against a bill that created domestic partnerships for same-sex couples."
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Documents show SW Wash. GOP lawmaker had sex with man
10:51 PM PDT on Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Associated Press and KING5.com
SPOKANE, Wash. - A Republican state legislator from southwest Washington had sex with a man he met at an erotic video store and then told police he had been targeted in an extortion attempt, according to police documents released Tuesday.
State Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, who on Monday declared, "I have not had sex with a guy," told police he was the victim in an extortion attempt by Cody Castagna at the posh Davenport Tower hotel on Oct. 26, search warrant documents said.
Castagna told police that Curtis agreed to pay him $1,000 for sex and also said Curtis purchased two gay pornographic films from the hotel for them to watch in his room.
Numerous efforts to reach Curtis by phone on Tuesday were not successful.
Curtis is married and has children, according to his legislative Web site. Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, he has voted against gay rights legislation.
Curtis was among state GOP lawmakers who were in Spokane last Wednesday through Friday for a retreat to discuss the upcoming legislative session. He went to the Hollywood Erotic Boutique in Spokane on Oct. 26 and met Castagna, who accompanied him back to the hotel, the police documents said.
Rep. Richard Curtis
The two arrived at the hotel around 3:34 a.m. and had sex, after which Curtis fell asleep, according to the documents.
Curtis alleged that Castagna took the lawmaker's wallet and later offered to return it for $1,000. Curtis said he only had $200 and left an envelope with the money at the hotel desk, the documents said.
Castagna called Curtis and demanded $800. But Curtis had already contacted Spokane police, and a detective was present when Castagna called, the documents said.
Castagna told police that Curtis gave him his wallet to hold as collateral for the remainder of the $1,000.
"Cody Castagna admitted threatening to publicly expose Richard Curtis' gay lifestyle to his wife unless Richard Curtis provided the disputed money," the documents said.
Castagna told Curtis that he took explicit photos of Curtis while he was asleep and threatened to publicly release the information unless he received the money, according to the police reports.
An Associated Press phone call to Castagna's home was not immediately returned Tuesday.
No one has been arrested and no charges have been filed.
Police spokeswoman Jennifer DeRuwe said the evidence found by police would be given to the Spokane County prosecutor's office, which will decide if criminal charges are warranted.
The deputy prosecutor who will review the report was not in the office Tuesday afternoon and will receive the information Wednesday, said a prosecutor's receptionist who declined to give her name.
In his only public comments, Curtis told The Columbian newspaper of Vancouver, Wash., that he did not solicit anyone for sex and was not gay.
"I committed no crime," Curtis told the newspaper Monday. "I did not solicit sex. I was trying to help somebody out."
Curtis, a former firefighter, declared, "I am not gay."
In his initial statement to police, Curtis denied offering money for sex, and denied having sex at all. He told officers he believed he had been slipped "some type of drug" because he did not have a clear recollection of the evening's events.
The police report added that Curtis told officers he only wanted his wallet back "and wanted to keep the incident as low key as possible." He did not want to pursue charges against Castagna, the report said.
But as the investigation continued, police said Curtis admitted to having sex with Castagna in Curtis' hotel room.
According to the report, Curtis said he initially gave Castagna $100 as gas money, and said he did not consider that paying for sex.
Police interviewed several witnesses at the Hollywood Erotic Boutique, and according to the report, Curtis walked into a bathroom at the store and a few minutes later left the bathroom wearing long red women's stockings and a black sequined lingerie top. A witness told police that at another time in the store, he saw a man with a cane performing a sexual act on Curtis.
In 2005 and 2006, Curtis voted against a bill that granted civil rights protections to gays and lesbians.
In 2007, Curtis voted against a bill that created domestic partnerships for same-sex couples.
Both measures eventually passed the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and are now part of state law.
State Republican leaders have declined comment on the case.
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