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Former DCF Spokesman Has Been Released On Bail

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By MIKE WELLS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

Updated: 02/02/2008 02:42 pm

TAMPA - The former spokesman for Florida's agency that protects children has been released from Orient Road Jail after posting $120,000 bond.

Al Zimmerman, 40, made his first court appearance today on eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance. He was released about 3:30 p.m., records show.

A hearing was set for Monday to review the bail amount, said Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

Zimmerman

Prosecutors asked that Zimmerman, 40, be held without bail, she said.

Until Friday, Zimmerman was press secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families.

According to an arrest report, Zimmerman offered to pay two teen boys to take photos of themselves masturbating. One boy lives in Hillsborough County and the other lives in Orange County.

Authorities said one of the teens is or has been in the state's care, said DCF's interim spokeswoman, Erin Geraghty.

The teens told investigators they were 16 and 17 at the time of the incidents, which happened between October 2007 and Friday for the Orange teen and from December 2005 through July 2007 for the Hillsborough teen.

Copes declined to say how Zimmerman contacted the teens or exactly how many images are involved.

DCF is cooperating with law enforcement and has given them access to Zimmerman's work computer and cell phone, Geraghty said.

Zimmerman, who has worked for the DCF since March 2005, turned himself in to authorities about 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Lakeland field office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said FDLE spokeswoman Heather Smith. His parents live in the Lakeland area.

The investigation became a joint operation involving Tampa police, the Attorney General's Office, the FDLE and the FBI, authorities said.

Zimmerman faces up to 120 years in prison - or 15 years on each count - if convicted of all charges.

Before Zimmerman began working for DCF in 2005, he was a reporter for Bay News 9.

In applying for a job with DCF, Zimmerman listed Gov. Charlie Crist – then attorney general – as a reference on his résumé.

Zimmerman last logged onto his MySpace.com account on Monday, according to the site. His profile is titled "GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE" and lists his job with DCF.

Under the details section, Zimmer listed his status as "swinger" and his sexual orientation as "straight." He also trimmed four years from his age.

Zimmerman's parents live in a gated neighborhood within south Lakeland. A woman who answered the phone at their home Saturday said she had no comment. Efforts to contact other family members were unsuccessful.

DCF Shocked

Zimmerman's arrest is a black mark on the agency he worked for, DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth said.

"We've been trying to change the image of this agency and move forward," he said. "This is obviously a setback."

He called the accusations Zimmerman faces "horrific."

"The employees – all 13,500 professionals working here – were as appalled and shocked as I was," Butterworth said. "Mr. Zimmerman has betrayed the trust of this department, the employees and the people we serve."

Attorney General Bill McCollum called Butterworth about the case on Thursday morning, he said.

Butterworth believes Zimmerman, who worked in DCF's Tallahassee offices, knew he was being investigated, he said.

"I think he was [aware]," Butterworth said. "We could not locate him Thursday in the afternoon.

Butterworth said no one saw no signs Zimmerman could be capable of such acts.

"We've asked others in the agency, and some are experts, and we've not found one person who had any indicators," he said.

Butterworth has asked for a review of the agency's hiring policies, specifically in relation to background checks, he said.

The secretary said he was disturbed by the lack of some information in Zimmerman's personnel file. It does not contain an application for employment or a fingerprint card.

Criminal Record

In addition, DCF only learned of Zimmerman's criminal record a few days ago, Butterworth said.

In 2003, Tampa police arrested him for writing bad checks, according to court records. The charges were dropped after he paid $433.59 in fines.

In 1998, Zimmerman was charged with passing a bad check in Bexar County, Texas, according to a records check. That charge, too, was dismissed.

However, a warrant for his arrest in Texas still exists, Butterworth said.

Texas officials charged him in 2000 with another bad check charge, records show.

In addition, Zimmerman was convicted in Georgia in 1993 of driving under the influence, Butterworth said.

The misdemeanor charges would not have automatically disqualified him from being hired as a state employee, but they should have prompted the recruiting staff to do a deeper background check – or to at least question him about it, Butterworth said.

Copes did not know how long Zimmerman was under suspicion, but said that "a routine undercover operation into child pornography" might have tipped off detectives. Tampa police detectives then contacted the attorney general's CyberCrimes unit to help in the investigation, Copes said.

"Every photograph, every image, every lasting impression of a child's sexual abuse perpetuates this horrible crime over and over again," Attorney General Bill McCollum said in a statement.

DCF has faced criticism since 2002, when it was discovered that a Miami investigator had lied about visiting the foster parents of 4-year-old Rilya Wilson. The girl had actually been missing for a year and has never been found.

More recently, former secretary Lucy Hadi resigned after being found in contempt of court for not moving inmates to state hospitals if they were incompetent to stand trial. Before that, Jerry Regier left the position after an investigation showed he accepted favors from contractors. Regier had replaced Kathleen Kearney, who resigned after Wilson disappeared.

Last year, a child protection task force criticized DCF officials because a 2-year-old foster girl was missing for four months before police began searching for her.

Butterworth said he will ask the FDLE to work with the DCF "to conduct a thorough investigation to determine if any child in the state's care has been victimized."

He said DCF is fairly certain that one of the two children has been in state custody at some point.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporters Billy Townsend and Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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