Christian Ziegler, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, will not face video voyeurism charges, according to the state attorney’s office in Sarasota County. This decision comes after Ziegler was removed from his position amid an investigation into allegations of sexual assault.
Earlier, authorities chose not to pursue sexual battery charges against Ziegler, as they concluded that a video recording of the encounter suggested it was likely consensual. However, in January, there were intentions to charge him with video voyeurism related to the recording.
The decision not to pursue video voyeurism charges is based on inconsistencies found in the woman’s statements about the recording.
The memo from prosecutors highlighted the victim’s difficulty in recalling whether she consented to the recording and inconsistencies in key details, making it challenging for the state to prove the video was filmed without her knowledge or consent.
Ziegler’s attorney, Derek Byrd, expressed relief on behalf of his client, stating that Ziegler is “completely cleared of the false allegations and any criminal wrongdoing.” Byrd emphasized that Ziegler cooperated at every stage of the investigation and called for a fair presumption of innocence, which he believes was not extended by many during the process.
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The public fallout from the investigation led to calls for the Zieglers to resign from their positions. Christian Ziegler was removed from his leadership role in January, while Bridget Ziegler continues to face calls to step down from the Sarasota County School Board, despite not being accused of criminal wrongdoing.
