Current:Home > FinanceEx-Florida GOP party chair cleared in sexual assault probe, but could still face voyeurism charges-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Ex-Florida GOP party chair cleared in sexual assault probe, but could still face voyeurism charges
View Date:2024-12-23 16:22:27
Christian Ziegler, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, will not face sexual assault charges, authorities said Friday, but investigators still determined there is enough evidence to recommend felony video voyeurism charges against him.
Ziegler was removed from his post earlier this month after a woman alleged that he had sexually assaulted her at her Sarasota, Florida, home.
The Sarasota Police Department reported Friday that the "sexual encounter" between Ziegler and the alleged victim, which took place on Oct. 2 of last year, was recorded on Ziegler's cell phone.
Based on the "video evidence," investigators determined the encounter "was likely consensual," police said in a news release, and found "no probable cause to charge Ziegler with sexual battery."
However, the woman told police she "was unaware" that Ziegler had recorded the sexual encounter, and that it was done without her consent. As a result, on Friday police filed a probable cause affidavit with the Florida State Attorney's Office recommending Ziegler be charged with felony voyeurism.
As part of their investigation, detectives conducted nearly a dozen interviews and reviewed several hours of surveillance footage.
The sexual assault allegations against Ziegler surfaced in November, and he was suspended from his position in December before being voted out earlier this month. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and other Republican leaders had called on Ziegler to step down, according to the Associated Press.
In October, the Florida Trident, a nonprofit organization focusing on government accountability, reported that a woman told the Sarasota police that she, Ziegler and Ziegler's wife, 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 home.
Bridget Ziegler is a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that identifies as a parental rights advocate and tries to elect right-wing candidates to school boards. The group opposes references to race or LGBTQ identity in the classroom, and has called for books on gender or sexuality to be removed from school libraries.
— Aaron Navarro contributed to this report.
- In:
- Republican Party
- Sexual Assault
- Florida
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
veryGood! (9987)
Related
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- Britney Spears Reunites With Mom Lynne Spears After Conservatorship Battle
- Picking the 'right' sunscreen isn't as important as avoiding these 6 mistakes
- Seniors got COVID tests they didn't order in Medicare scam. Could more fraud follow?
- Trump's election has women swearing off sex with men. It's called the 4B movement.
- She's a U.N. disability advocate who won't see her own blindness as a disability
- FDA changes rules for donating blood. Some say they're still discriminatory
- Living Better: What it takes to get healthy in America
- Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
- Dwindling Arctic Sea Ice May Affect Tropical Weather Patterns
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
- Homelessness rose in the U.S. after pandemic aid dried up
- Meet the teen changing how neuroscientists think about brain plasticity
- California man who attacked police with taser on Jan. 6 sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison
- Why Josh O'Connor Calls Sex Scenes Least Sexy Thing After Challengers With Zendaya and Mike Faist
- Rules allow transgender woman at Wyoming chapter, and a court can't interfere, sorority says
- Indiana reprimands doctor who spoke publicly about providing 10-year-old's abortion
- Hip-hop turns 50: Here's a part of its history that doesn't always make headlines
Recommendation
-
Gossip Girl Actress Chanel Banks Reported Missing After Vanishing in California
-
Missing sub pilot linked to a famous Titanic couple who died giving lifeboat seats to younger passengers
-
President Donald Trump’s Climate Change Record Has Been a Boon for Oil Companies, and a Threat to the Planet
-
Sudanese doctors should not have to risk their own lives to save lives
-
Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
-
Your First Look at E!'s Black Pop: Celebrating the Power of Black Culture
-
Earth’s Hottest Decade on Record Marked by Extreme Storms, Deadly Wildfires
-
Survivor Season 44 Crowns Its Winner