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DCF Didn't Run Check On Ousted Official

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By THOMAS W. KRAUSE and CATHERINE DOLINSKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2008

TAMPA - The state Department of Children & Families is launching a probe into the backgrounds of all of its employees while police continue searching for possible victims of a former DCF spokesman arrested on child pornography charges.
DCF is combing through its personnel files and running criminal background checks on all agency employees, including those hired before late 2006, when the department began requiring all new personnel to be fingerprinted, agency Secretary Bob Butterworth said at a news conference Monday in Tallahassee.

Among those hired before the rule change: Al Zimmerman, 40. He was fired from the agency that protects children after his arrest Friday on charges that he asked two teenage boys to take sexual pictures of themselves.

Butterworth said it appears the department chose Zimmerman for the job without contacting his prior employers, which was a violation of department policy. His file also lacks a required state application. Butterworth said he wants to know whether the department has been following hiring procedures and to make sure it does so in the future.

Butterworth Praises Rest Of DCF
The secretary sought to shield DCF's other 13,500 employees from the taint of association, stressing repeatedly that "this is one individual who committed an act - a deplorable act, an indefensible act - but that should not reflect on the employees of the Department of Children & Families."

Concerned about department morale, the secretary said he is telling employees to "work with their head held high. We are still moving forward and doing great things, each and every day, in order to protect the people in this state. And they should be proud of the work that they do."

Interviews with witnesses and the victims make authorities think Zimmerman might have done this before, Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

"We believe there are other victims out there," McElroy said. "We would like to make an appeal: If anyone else has had contact with him, if they could come forward."

Names of victims will remain anonymous, McElroy said. Anyone with information is asked to call (813) 231-6130.

Arrest records state Zimmerman offered money to a 16-year-old and 17-year-old if they would take pictures of themselves masturbating. One of the teenagers lives in Hillsborough County and the other has ties to Orange County. Officials would not comment on the number of pictures involved. Zimmerman is charged with eight counts of using a child for sexual performance.

State law enforcement officials said one of the two teenagers came forward to complain about Zimmerman. The other one was identified through Tampa police efforts.

If convicted, Zimmerman faces up to 120 years in prison.

Erin Geraghty, communications director for the Department of Children & Families, has said one of the teens approached by Zimmerman is or has been in state care. A statewide prosecutor asked a judge Saturday to hold Zimmerman without bail but was denied. Zimmerman was released Saturday on $120,000 bail.
Zimmerman joined DCF in 2005, before a rule change requiring that all DCF job applicants submit to fingerprinting. Before November 2006, only certain personnel were required to undergo criminal background checks; Zimmerman's administrative position did not fall into that category.

DCF officials said they were unaware of Zimmerman's criminal history when he was hired. In 1993, Zimmerman was convicted in Georgia of driving under the influence. In 1998, he was charged with passing a bad check in Bexar County, Texas. That charge was dismissed, but a warrant for his arrest in Texas still exists, state officials said.

In 2003, Tampa police charged him with writing bad checks, court records show. The charges were dropped after he paid $433.59 in fines.

Review To Start Immediately

Butterworth told reporters Monday that DCF will immediately start running background checks on its most recent hires and will work backward to extend the probe to all employees.

Although a criminal check on Zimmerman would have uncovered warning signs, Butterworth said, "There was nothing ... to show that he would commit this particular type of crime, or that he had the propensity to commit this type of crime."

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Butterworth to lead DCF in December 2006, after Zimmerman's arrival at the agency. Zimmerman's list of references included Crist, who was attorney general at the time. Butterworth said Crist's office has said he did not recall giving Zimmerman permission to list him as a reference.

Since his arrival, Butterworth has been working to repair the department's image, which has suffered from a string of scandals in recent years. On Monday, Butterworth said he hopes the current scandal does not set his efforts back.

Officials with the Florida Statewide Prosecution Office said this weekend that Zimmerman would be back in court Monday and that they would ask to have his bail revoked. No motion was filed, though, and Zimmerman was not in court.

Investigators with the FBI have been reviewing Zimmerman's work computer and cell phone. McElroy said no additional charges were expected Monday. Gerald Bailey, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said only that the investigation into other possible victims was ongoing.

Prior to arriving at DCF, Zimmerman worked for television news stations in Tampa and Macon, Ga. His references included Joe Durkin, who was spokesman for the Tampa Police Department at the time. Currently, Durkin is director of corporate communications for Bright House Networks.

Durkin said he knew Zimmerman only professionally, in Zimmerman's capacity as a reporter for Bay News 9.

"He was a very personable, very detail-oriented reporter," Durkin said. "It surprised me that he would break the law. It shocked me that he would commit a crime involving children."

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com. Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (813) 222-8382 or cdolinski@tampatrib.com.

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