Groups Call For Massachusetts State Sen. Marzilli To Resign Amid Increasing Assault Charges

June 5, 2008 11:27 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Calls for Massachusetts state senator James Marzilli to resign began on Wednesday after he was released on a $1,500 bail and no new charges of assault were filed despite mounting accusations from several new women.

Marzilli was arrested Tuesday afternoon after police chased him on foot through downtown Lowell. He was caught in a parking garage, where he identified himself as Dorchester State Rep. Martin Walsh.

Police wanted to question Marzilli in connection with a complaint from a woman earlier in the day who said that Marzilli had tried to grope her while she was seated on a park bench. The 50-year old former state representative was accused of assaulting another woman in Arlington weeks earlier.

During his arraignment on Wednesday, Marzilli pleaded not guilty to charges that included resisting arrest, attempting to commit a crime and assault and battery.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. is quoted by the Boston Globe as saying authorities are investigating new accusations against Marzilli, including an assault charge in Brighton two years ago.

Several groups have begun asking for Marzilli's resignation. Laurie Myers, a victims rights advocate, told the Boston Herald, "This is predatory behavior. He's dangerous. But we live in a state where that stuff gets swept under the carpet, until the next one."

The Arlington Advocate published an editorial on Thursday saying Marzilli should consider stepping down. "While we stand by his right to a trial, we also believe Marzilli needs to think of his constituents and consider resigning from the state Senate to get his life in order... Nothing he does, from this day until then will escape the tint of this scandal."