By Staff Reporter |

Democrat Nicholas Gonzales, a House candidate for legislative district 13, was convicted for filing a false report to law enforcement.

Gonzales falsely reported his son as missing to police in 2021 during a planned custody swap, according to court records obtained by the Arizona Republic. That false report occurred about a month after Gonzales was found to be in contempt of court. 

Gonzales claimed to police that his son was not at the designated meeting point for parenting time and that he didn’t know his son’s location. However, text messages obtained by officers revealed that Gonzales had arranged for the grandmother to pick up his son. Gonzales later admitted in court that he knew this to be the truth.

For filing a false claim about his son being missing, Gonzales was convicted of false reporting to law enforcement and received a suspended sentence.

The 2021 false report was part of a struggle with his ex-wife, Kurstie Ortiz, over their son dating back to 2012. Court records indicated that Gonzales would make threats to Ortiz, and that Gonzales’ son expressed fears over Gonzales finding out about his communication with his mother while spending time with Gonzales. 

For years, Gonzales owed thousands in child support as well. Ortiz’s attorney told the Arizona Republic that he still has yet to pay the over $12,000 in lawyers’ fees he was ordered to pay her in 2021. Gonzales did reportedly pay a portion of the $6,500 in unpaid child support. 

In that court order, the Maricopa County Superior Court found Gonzales in contempt for refusing to follow the parenting plan as well as failing to pay child support.

Gonzales’ past clearly doesn’t outweigh the Arizona Democratic Party’s need to secure a Democratic majority in the legislature.

Governor Katie Hobbs held an event over the weekend encouraging turnout for Gonzales and other candidates. Hobbs’ campaign manager denied that Hobbs had any knowledge of the troubles with Gonzales’ custody dispute.

Gonzales issued the following statement after details of his divorce records went public:

“When I became a father at 18 years old, I made a promise to my child that I would be a present and active part of his life. Though my relationship with his mother ultimately ended, I remained committed to being a part of his life and upbringing. I have always been transparent about the challenges I faced as a young parent and while navigating the family court system was at times frustrating, I am proud of the progress made and that his mother and I are amicably co-parenting. Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our child, which includes raising him in a healthy and respectful environment. I am saddened that this difficult period of my family’s life is being used in an attempt to discredit my campaign but these tactics are typical from the Republican Party, which holds no standards or boundaries. I am proud of the father and man I am today and know that voters will see through this clear attempt to undermine my ability to lead in office.”

Ortiz denied Gonzales’ claim that the two are “amicably co-parenting” their son, saying that it wasn’t true. 

Gonzales and Brandy Reese are the two Democratic candidates in the race, looking to fill the seat vacated by Jennifer Pawlik and unseat Republican Julie Willoughby (the named replacement for Liz Harris, who was expelled last year). Another Republican candidate, Jeff Weninger, is also running.

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