DCF spokesman arrested on child porn charges

HILLSBOROUGH -- The spokesman for the Department of Children and Families was arrested on child pornography charges Friday night, accused of soliciting two teen-agers to perform sex acts which he used to make child pornography.

Al Zimmerman, 40, who has worked for DCF since spring 2005, was arrested in Lakeland and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he was booked on eight counts of using a child in a sexual performance. Investigators say the victims were between the ages of 16 and 17.

Investigators believe one of the victims was under the care of the state at some point.
A probable cause affidavit filed at the jail says Zimmerman offered one of the victims in Orange County money to pose for nude photos and masturbate so he could create child pornography.

The affidavit says the crimes occurred between December 2005 and July 07 in Hillsborough County and between October 2007 and February in Orange County.

It also said Zimmerman admitted to the accusations.

“I’m shocked. I’m horrified,” DCF chief Bob Butterworth said late Friday night. “This is appalling, disheartening in every sense of the word.”

Butterworth learned of the investigation Wednesday and said Zimmerman was fired Friday.

He has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to work with DCF to see if any other children in the state’s care where victimized.

In Zimmerman’s role as a DCF spokesman, there was the possibility of limited contact with minors as part of his job, said Erin Geraghty, another department spokeswoman.

Zimmerman’s arrest stemmed from a routine investigation started by the Tampa Police Department, said Sandi Copes, a spokeswoman for the Florida Attorney General’s Office. She couldn’t say how long the investigation had been going on, but said it could result in more charges.

Zimmerman faces up to 120 years in prison if convicted on the current charges. He was being held Friday night on a $60,000 bond.

“I am completely shocked,” said Nick Cox, SunCoast Regional Director for DCF director for the Suncoast region, who said he considered Zimmerman a friend. “It’s so much worse the nature of the work we’re doing that this has happened with him.”

Zimmerman most recently has worked out of Tallahassee, but his previous role at DCF was as spokesman for District 13, which included Citrus, Hernando, Marion, Lake and Sumter counties. He previously worked in journalism, including as a reporter for Bay News 9.

According to his DCF biography, he is from Lakeland.

He made $75,000 a year, personnel records show. The records show he listed Governor Charlie Crist, then the state attorney general, as a reference. The file also contained his Florida criminal history, which showed an arrest on fraudulent check writing charges.

Butterworth said nothing in his background would have predicted the type of crime of which he is now accused.

Butterworth has asked the DCF inspector general to review the case and make recommendations for policy changes, which could include more thorough background checks.

-- Stephanie Garry, Times staff writer
Times reporter Elizabeth Dyer and researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

[Picture: Al Zimmerman, photo from DCF Web site]