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Spokesman's Arrest Jolts DCF

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By MIKE WELLS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

Updated: 02/02/2008 11:46 pm

TAMPA - The head of the state agency that protects children has called the arrest of its spokesman on child pornography charges "a setback" to efforts to repair its troubled image.

Department of Children & Families Secretary Bob Butterworth pledged Saturday to review the agency's hiring policies and how Al Zimmerman was hired.

Zimmerman

Zimmerman, a 40-year-old Lakeland native and former Bay News 9 reporter, was fired Friday after nearly three years with DCF. He was charged with eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance, a second-degree felony.

Zimmerman turned himself in to authorities about 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Lakeland field office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FDLE spokeswoman Heather Smith said. Zimmerman's parents live in the Lakeland area.

He made his first court appearance Saturday morning and was released from Orient Road Jail about 3:30 p.m. after posting a $120,000 bond, records show.

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

DCF has endured harsh criticism through the years. In 2002, a Miami DCF investigator was discovered lying about visiting the foster parents of 4-year-old Rilya Wilson when the girl actually had been missing for a year. She 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 Rilya 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 started looking for her.

Butterworth, who has been secretary for a little more than a year, said Zimmerman's arrest is another black mark on the agency.

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

Butterworth called the accusations against Zimmerman "horrific."

"The employees ... 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."

Case Originated In Tampa

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, the report said.

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

The case originated in Tampa, Smith said. She would not elaborate on how law enforcement learned of the allegations, how Zimmerman contacted the teens or how many images are involved.

Tampa police contacted the attorney general's CyberCrimes unit for help in the investigation, said Sandi Copes, spokeswoman for the Florida Office of the Attorney General.

The teens told investigators they were 16 and 17 at the time of the incidents, which happened between October and Friday for the Orange County teen and from December 2005 through July for the Hillsborough teen. The victims are now 17 and 18.

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

The investigation continues, Smith said.

"The focus is to determine if there are any other victims in or out of state care," she said.

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

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

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

DCF is cooperating with law enforcement and has handed over Zimmerman's work computer, Geraghty said. Zimmerman's cell phone was seized at the time of his arrest.

No one at the agency saw signs Zimmerman could be capable of such acts, Butterworth said.

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

Crist Listed As Reference

In December 2006, Gov.-elect Charlie Crist named Butterworth as DCF's fourth leader in six years to fix an agency that had been under fire for failing to protect children and adults. Before taking on the post, Butterworth spent four terms as attorney general.

When Zimmerman sent an inquiry letter in 2005 about a job with DCF, he listed Crist - then attorney general - as a reference.

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

Butterworth 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.

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

In 2003, Tampa police arrested him on charges of 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.

Zimmerman Listed On MySpace

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.

Before Zimmerman began working for DCF, he was a reporter for Bay News 9, a 24-hour cable news station in St. Petersburg. He worked at the station from 2001 to 2004.

A MySpace.com account in the name of Al Zimmerman is titled "GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE" and lists a job with DCF.

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 relatives were unsuccessful.

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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