Update: Grand Forks senator accused of sexual assault quits panel leadership

FARGO (KVRR-KFGO) – North Dakota state Sen. Ray Holmberg has resigned as head of a panel that oversees the Legislature’s business between sessions.

The resignation comes just days after reports surfaced that Holmberg had exchanged scores of text messages with a man jailed on child pornography charges.

The chairman of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL called on Holmberg to resign. Others have called for Holmberg to release the content of text messages, allegedly exchanged with Nicholas Derosier, who is facing numerous child pornography-related charges in federal court.

Mark Friese of the Vogel Law Firm is representing Holmberg.  Friese confirmed the allegations made two years ago by a man who accused Holmberg in a long Twitter thread of having sexually assaulted him ten years earlier.

Holmberg told KVRR News that he doesn’t want to be rude, but said he has no comment and referred all questions about the investigation to Friese.

Holmberg has been in the legislature since 1976. He announced in March that he would not seek re-election.