BY AARON NAVARRO UPDATED ON: NOVEMBER 30, 2023 / 11:49 PM EST / CBS NEWS

Florida Republican Party chair Christian Ziegler is being investigated by the Sarasota Police Department, Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, confirmed.

Byrd did not say what the allegations were, but in response to a CBS News question about the charges, the Sarasota Police Department sent a heavily redacted police report that mentions an accusation of rape and sexual battery that allegedly took place on Oct. 2 in Sarasota.

Late Thursday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called on Ziegler to resign as state party chair.

“I don’t see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations,” DeSantis told reporters in Alpharetta, Georgia, after his televised debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “And so I think that he should, I think he should step aside.”

“He’s innocent ’til proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny,” DeSantis said.

The Florida Trident, a nonprofit organization focusing on government accountability, reported that a woman told the Sarasota Police that she and Christian and Bridget Ziegler have been involved in a three-year-long three-way sexual relationship. The Trident, citing sources close to the investigation, indicated that the events being investigated allegedly took place while Christian Ziegler and the woman were alone at the woman’s house.