Share this @internewscast.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Christian Ziegler will not face sexual battery charges, but prosecutors will consider whether to charge him with video voyeurism stemming from a months-long investigation, according to a statement from the Sarasota Police Department.

The investigation started after an Oct. 2 sexual encounter between Ziegler and an unnamed woman, who later alleged to police in a complaint that Ziegler “raped” her. After interviewing dozens of people and reviewing surveillance footage, the police department in Sarasota, where Ziegler lives, determined it was “unable to develop probable cause” for a charge of sexual battery.

Police did, however, send a probable cause affidavit to prosecutors for video voyeurism, a felony crime, because Ziegler allegedly taped the sexual encounter without the woman’s knowledge, the Sarasota police said.

“After conducting an additional follow-up interview with the victim and after showing the victim the video recording of the sex act, the victim advised Sarasota Police detectives that she was unaware and did not consent to being video recorded,” according to the statement issued Friday by the Sarasota Police Department.

Ziegler attorney Derek Boyd said that since “day one, we have been confident Mr. Ziegler would be exonerated,” and he said the police “punted” to prosecutors the portion of the case that alleges unlawful videotaping of a sexual act.

“While we are disappointed that the Sarasota Police Department ‘punted’ the decision on the remaining portion of the case of the state attorney’s office, we strongly believe that the state attorney will not prosecute Mr. Ziegler for any crime,” Byrd said in a statement. 

The investigation, which was first reported by the Center for Government Accountability, sent shock waves through Florida Republican politics, leading to party officials to oust Ziegler as chair and install former vice chairman Evan Power as the new state GOP chairman.

Nearly every prominent Florida Republican, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, called on him to resign after news of the investigation broke, but Ziegler refused to do so. Ultimately, the state Republican Party had to hold a series of emergency meetings to reduce his power and then formally remove him as chairman earlier this month.

The investigation has also had fallout for Ziegler’s wife, Bridget, who herself is a well-known presence in conservative circles as a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a group that works to elect conservative women to school boards. 

According to search warrant affidavits obtained by NBC News, the Zieglers together allegedly had a previous sexual encounter with the woman who accused Christian Ziegler of rape. In addition to the legal investigation, the allegations led to backlash against Bridget Ziegler, who critics accused of hypocrisy over her focus on conservative policy issues including passing anti-LGBTQ laws. She helped author legislation championed by DeSantis that banned the talk of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms up to third grade.

She was facing no allegations of wrongdoing, but Bridget Ziegler resigned her post as vice president of school boards for the Leadership Institute, a national group that trains conservative activists, and has faced multiple calls for her to resign from the Sarasota County School Board.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Bikini-clad Sofía Vergara celebrates 53rd birthday in Sardinia

Sofía Vergara Marks Her 53rd Birthday in Sardinia in a Bikini

Buon compleanno! Sofía Vergara celebrated her 53rd birthday in a white bikini…
LSU lands No. 1 college football recruit Lamar Brown in huge get

LSU Secures Top College Football Prospect Lamar Brown in Major Win

The No. 1 recruit in the 2026 recruiting class, according to ESPN’s…
Chicago crime: Dion Wallace speaks out after son killed in Logan Square stabbing, fire; Wendy Tolbert charged after 3 kids stabbed

Tragedy in Chicago: Father Dion Wallace Shares Loss After Son’s Death in Logan Square; Wendy Tolbert Faces Charges in Stabbing Incident Involving 3 Children

CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago father is speaking out after a tragedy…
'Oversight can't be scheduled': Florida lawmakers sue DeSantis over 'Alligator Alcatraz' access

“Florida Lawmakers Sue DeSantis Over Access Issues to ‘Alligator Alcatraz'”

The five lawmakers, all Democrats, were turned away from entering the facility…
Native Hawaiian man could face longer prison sentence after conviction for hate crime against white man

Hawaiian Man May Receive Extended Sentence for Hate Crime Conviction Against White Man

A Native Hawaiian man who had been found guilty of a hate…
LiAngelo Ball files for divorce days after wife's pregnancy reveal

LiAngelo Ball Announces Divorce Shortly After Wife Reveals Pregnancy

LiAngelo Ball initiated divorce proceedings from Rashida Nicole just a week after…
Professor Proposes Renaming His School 'George Floyd University'... Then He Really Goes Off the Rails

Professor Suggests Renaming His School ‘George Floyd University’… Then Things Take a Surprising Turn

In this episode of “No, This Isn’t a Satire Piece From the…
Former public school teacher, 33, charged after 'prolonged pattern of abuse' with teen boy

Ex-public school teacher, 33, faces charges for ‘extended abuse’ involving teenage boy

A former South Carolina teacher was charged with having a prolonged inappropriate…
Cars parked in a lot near a gated entrance, surrounded by tall pine trees.

Tragic Incident: Teenager Dies After Sand Hole Collapse on Beach

A 17-YEAR-old boy has died on a beach after being buried alive…
Man in suit reviewing documents.

Evidence of Torture Discovered on Fired Putin Minister’s Body Before Alleged Suicide

The Kremlin has been charged with concealing the demise of a dismissed…
Angela Paxton at her husband's impeachment trial.

Senator Angela Paxton Announces Divorce from Texas Attorney General Ken on Biblical Grounds After Nearly 40 Years of Marriage

TEXAS Senator Angela Paxton has filed for divorce from her attorney general…
Florida woman Caroline Shaw arrested near Mar-a-Lago security checkpoint after saying she had an 'urgent message' for President Trump

Florida Woman Arrested Near Mar-a-Lago for Claiming She Had an ‘Urgent Message’ for Trump

A woman was taken into custody after she attempted to access Mar-a-Lago,…