GREENSBORO, N.C. (CN) - Prosecutors charged a North Carolina state representative with two counts of statutory rape of a 15-year-old and two counts of indecent liberties with a child, prompting bipartisan calls for his resignation.

Law enforcement arrested Representative Cecil Brockman, a 41-year-old Democrat representing Guilford County and the city of High Point, on Wednesday, according to court files made public Thursday.  

Brockman was denied pretrial release from the High Point Detention Center because he has access to "abundant resources to aid in his flight from prosecution." 

Prosecutors say Brockman committed a "lewd and lascivious act" on a 15-year-old on Aug. 15. The child was identified only by their initials.  

Prosecutors also claim Brockman has made attempts to contact the child in the case, including trying to locate them while in the hospital. He has also attempted to "use his status to gain information," Magistrate Brittany Jones said in her bond determination. She instructed him not to have any contact with the minor or their family.

A representative for Bockman's office declined to comment on the charges. Brockman is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Thursday and appear again on Oct. 30. He has filed an affidavit of indigency, which declares an inability to pay for legal fees. 

"The allegations against Representative Brockman are serious and, if true, would disqualify him from public office," House Democratic Leader Robert Reives said in a statement. "This is a developing situation and it is important to let the legal process unfold."

Reives urged Brockman to resign, saying that "it has become clear that he is unable to continue serving in the House of Representatives."

Anderson Clayton, the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, called on Brockman to step down immediately. 

"The profound seriousness of these criminal charges makes it impossible to represent his community," she said. 

Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch called the accusations "incredibly serious and deeply disturbing."

"While the justice system moves forward as it should, I believe Representative Brockman should resign," she said. "North Carolinians deserve leaders who reflect the integrity of their office."

Brockman is currently serving his sixth term in the state House and is a vice chairman for the House's K-12 education committee. He also serves on the health committee, education appropriations, and the agriculture and environment committees, among others. He was first elected to the House in 2014.

Brockman has occasionally voted with Republicans, who are one seat short of having a veto-proof majority, and has been absent during several notable votes. Brockman spoke out against his party in 2024, claiming he was being "scapegoated" after being absent during a major vote, warning that it was the same behavior that pushed another Democrat, Tricia Cotham, to switch parties in 2023. He narrowly won against his primary challenger in March 2024. 

His current term in office is scheduled to end on Jan. 1, 2027.

Speaker of the House Destin Hall also asked Brockman to leave public office. 

"The charges against Representative Brockman are shocking and extremely serious," said Hall, a Republican. "Given the evidence that's publicly known, he should resign immediately so these charges do not distract from the work of the North Carolina House."

The state legislature has completed its primary working session for the year. The earliest it would return again would be Oct. 20. 

North Carolina received national attention during the 2024 election, when the state's Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson decided to remain in the gubernatorial race after reports surfaced that he had made posts calling himself "a black NAZI," supported the return of slavery and talked about peeping on women in locker rooms in the 2000s. 

After the 2024 election, Republican leaders convened to pass legislation stripping powers from newly elected Democrats before they lost their three-fifths majority in 2025. 

One measure passed made sweeping changes to the responsibilities of governor, attorney general and two judgeships, and also shifted the state board of elections to the Department of the State Auditor. Brockman was not present for the veto-override vote, and said he chose to prioritize his health after hearing Republicans were likely to succeed in passing it into law. 

Source: Courthouse News Service