Latest news with #Scrivner
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
CA DOJ responds to Asm. Dr. Bains' questions on lack of sex abuse charges against Scrivner
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The California Department of Justice responded to Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains' request for clarification on the lack of child sex abuse charges against former Kern Supervisor Zack Scrivner. In a statement to 17 News Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson writing: 'As in each case we undertake at the California Department of Justice, we seek justice guided by the facts and the law. Guided by these principles, we file charges that we have determined can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The court has ordered investigatory reports associated with the case to be sealed. As a result, our complaint contains the information we are able to share at this time.' Robert Prevost becomes first American pope of the Catholic Church: What to know Allegations of child sexual assault first surfaced April 2024 against Scrivner. He faces five felony charges — three counts of willful cruelty to a child and two counts of possessing a weapon. Bains is one of few lawmakers at the state, county and city levels to speak out against Scrivner. Sheriff Donny Youngblood has been one of the most vocal critics of the former supervisor, stating that Scrivner likely received special treatment in the prosecution of his criminal case as a powerful political figure. The California Department of Justice is handling prosecution due to a conflict of interest. District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is Scrivner's aunt. Scrivner's next court date is scheduled for July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
1 year since former Kern County supervisor Zack Scrivner's fall from grace: Everything we know and still don't know
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — April 23, 2025. It marks one year since one of the biggest political scandals in Kern County history — the downfall of former county supervisor Zack Scrivner. Scrivner faces allegations of child sexual assault, and in February was charged with five felony counts — including child abuse and weapons possession. This has been a lengthy process for all parties involved, sparking concerns Scrivner — as one of Kern County's top elected officials and nephew of District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer — was receiving special treatment. It took 10 months for charges to be filed, and his trial will likely begin well into the summer. 'Finally, it's happened,' said Bakersfield criminal defense attorney David A. Torres on the day Scrivner was arraigned. Torres, referencing the resounding community-wide echo when former Kern District 2 Supervisor Zack Scrivner was charged on February 14 — 297 days after allegations of child sexual assault first surfaced. The California Department of Justice charged the 51-year-old Scrivner with five felonies — three counts of willful cruelty to a child and two counts of possessing weapons — including AK-47 and AR-15 style rifles. His attorney — H.A. Sala — pleaded not guilty to all charges on Scrivner's behalf. 'But, but he will not be convicted,' Sala told reporters outside of the courtroom, following Scrivner's first court appearance. 17 News spoke extensively with Sala the following week. 17's Jenny Huh: 'So, everything that's detailed in the complaint such as the penetration that's mentioned, the fact that the supervisor was under mind or mood-altering substances and treated the victim inappropriately, all of those charges you deny?' H.A. Sala: 'Well, yes.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'If you deny all those allegations, are you essentially saying the victims' claims are false then?' H.A. Sala: 'I am saying my client is innocent.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'Are there victims in the case?' H.A. Sala: 'I don't believe there are victims in this case.' That fateful night, Tuesday, April 23, around 11, District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer — Scrivner's aunt — placed a personal call to Sheriff Donny Youngblood. She told the sheriff Scrivner was armed with a gun and was suicidal at his Tehachapi home. It is alleged Scrivner sexually assaulted a preteen girl and was stabbed by that girl's teenage brother, who was trying to protect her. Sala told 17 News Scrivner was stabbed twice in the complaint details that while responsible for the care of the girl, Scrivner got into bed with her and touched her inappropriately. It also states that Scrivner introduced firearms in a situation where the child would attempt to get control of the firearms or otherwise prevent the defendant from committing self-harm, and struggled with the child over the firearms, seriously aggravating an existing injury. Following the charges, Sheriff Donny Youngblood joined 17 News at Sunrise. 'I told you 10 months ago I would, if I disagreed, I would tell you. And I totally disagree,' the sheriff stated. 'I think that he's receiving preferential treatment…I'm really disappointed at not only the 10 months that it took, but the charges that they charged him with. Scrivner walked into a courtroom, never booked. Even the president of the United States was booked, photographed and fingerprinted. Zack Scrivner was not.' Youngblood asked why there were no sex crime charges, despite the complaint stating allegations like 'sexually penetrate, injure, cause, and permit a child, to suffer and to be inflicted with unjustifiable physical pain and mental suffering.' 'There were no sex charges, even though in the charging documents they articulate a sex crime, Penal Code 288, and then they don't charge Scrivner with that crime, which means he will never have to register as a sex offender,' the sheriff said. To which, Scrivner's defense responded, 'There are certain elements that need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. This particular charge could not be proved and cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.' At the county and state levels, only Sheriff Youngblood spoke publicly about Zack Scrivner. 'He was treated differently. From the very beginning, because he was a sitting supervisor. He was the nephew of the sitting district attorney,' Sheriff Youngblood said, saying he agrees Scrivner received special treatment. All details about the case came from Youngblood and his April 25, 2024, press conference. 'I wouldn't be standing up here if we didn't believe something occurred,' Youngblood told reporters that day. No insight from Scrivner nor his attorney. No insight from our district attorney. No insight from the state Department of Justice; not until charges were filed. 'No one is above the law. Everyone must be held accountable if they break it,' California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during an unrelated press conference, when asked about Scrivner's charges. Youngblood also noted that Scrivner's parents were also home when the incident occurred. And, he said, no 911 calls were made. The only calls for help were directly to him. Zack Scrivner was one of the most well-connected politicians in Kern. Even his mother, Kathy Scrivner, has been on the Kern High School District board of trustees since 2022. Kathy Scrivner has not responded to any requests for comment since last April. Neither has her sister, DA Cynthia Zimmer. 17 News wants to emphasize there's one party we have not received comment from over the past year — the District Attorney's Office. They say she's hands off because of the familial conflict of interest. However, we've asked DA Zimmer for comment — not only as the aunt of Zack Scrivner, but also as the county's top law enforcement official, who has a duty of transparency to her constituents. Her spokesperson declined multiple requests for comment, just over the past few weeks. 17 News sent emails on March 6, March 13, March 24 then again on March 31. Some of the questions we're still hoping to get answered? Why did you call the Sheriff himself instead of 911 or Tehachapi Police? What was said in the phone call you made to Sheriff Youngblood? Since you made this call for help, is that not direct involvement in the case? Were you asked to be part of the criminal investigation? If so, did you cooperate? Wednesday, the DA's Office declined yet another request for his arraignment, Scrivner was released on his own recognizance because he did not pose a flight risk or public safety threat. In the latest update, Sala told 17 News it's unclear if Scrivner will attend his May 1 court civil case with now-estranged wife Christina Scrivner remains on hold as his criminal case plays out. Meantime, a 3-year restraining order has been granted for Christina Scrivner and their four children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Scrivners reach agreement on restraining order, March hearing canceled
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Zack Scrivner and his wife have agreed to a three-year domestic violence restraining order, resulting in the cancelation of next month's family law hearing at which law enforcement and children were expected to testify about an incident at their home last year. Zack Scrivner, who faces five felony counts stemming from the April incident, must stay at least 100 yards away from Christina Scrivner and their four children through Feb. 4, 2028, according to a recent court filing. He's barred from contacting them in any manner. Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Scrivner's attorney spar over felony charges, child abuse investigation, 'preferential treatment' The Scrivners reached the agreement after a Feb. 4 hearing in family law court. Last week, after a 10-month investigation by the state Attorney General's Office, Zack Scrivner was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment. He allegedly took mind-altering substances on April 23, got in bed with and touched a child inappropriately. Scrivner is also accused of illegally possessing an AK-47 style rifle and an AR-15 style rifle. The next hearing in the criminal case is set for May 1. Thirty guns, electronic devices and psychedelic mushrooms were seized from the home, Sheriff Donny Youngblood has said. The sheriff said Scrivner was involved in a physical altercation and stabbed twice in the upper body over sex assault allegations. No one else was charged. The AG's office handled the case after the Kern County District Attorney's Office recused itself. Scrivner is the nephew of District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. In addition to the domestic violence restraining order, a criminal protective order is in place barring Scrivner from contacting his wife and children. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Youngblood alleges Scrivner received 'preferential treatment'
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, speaking almost 10 months after he oversaw an investigation that led state prosecutors last week to file five felony counts against former county Supervisor Zack Scrivner, said Thursday the defendant should have been arrested, booked and charged with a sex crime. The fact those things didn't happen suggested to Youngblood that Scrivner received "preferential treatment" that not even the president of the United States was afforded after being indicted in August 2023 on 34 counts of racketeering and related charges. "For the public, the optics of it are horrible at the very least," the sheriff told The Californian. "Because we never do it that way." Youngblood said evidence he is aware of should have prompted the California Department of Justice to charge Scrivner under section 288 of the California Penal Code, which deals with lewd or lascivious acts against a child under the age of 14. Instead, prosecutors accused Scrivner of three counts of child endangerment, including getting into bed with and inappropriately touching a minor. The two other felony counts were for alleged firearms violations. Scrivner pleaded not guilty. His next court date is May 1. State prosecutors took over the case because county District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is Scrivner's aunt. She is the person who Youngblood has said called him the night of April 23 saying her nephew was having a psychotic episode at the family's Tehachapi home and that he was armed with a gun. Two days later, Youngblood told reporters one of Scrivner's four children stabbed him that night to protect another sibling from their father, who was found to be in possession of a small amount of psychedelic mushrooms and about 30 firearms. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Youngblood said he has never seen a defendant walk into a courtroom, having been charged with a felony but without having been arrested, and then leave without being booked. "This is abnormal. There's no reason. Something is not right here," he said. "It appears a deal was struck … ." He added that communication his department has had with state prosecutors, which he declined to discuss, made him think the state was building a case of defense for Scrivner "as opposed to a case of prosecution." Scrivner's Bakersfield defense attorney, H.A. Sala, dismissed Youngblood's assertions, saying prosecutors didn't bring a sex crime charge "because it cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt." There was no need to arrest Scrivner because he appeared in court at 3 p.m. the day after being informed he would be charged. "That was the magistrate's determination" not to have Scrivner arrested or booked but instead release him on his own recognizance, Sala said. He added the former supervisor was neither a flight risk nor a threat or risk to public safety, and for those reasons "did not need to be arrested." A spokeswoman for Kern County Superior Court, where Scrivner was arraigned Friday, denied Thursday that Scrivner received preferential treatment. Without addressing specific questions including why he was never arrested or booked, spokeswoman Kristin Davis said by email, "The court treated Mr. Scrivner the same as any other defendant would be treated." Sala said there was no preferential treatment — "absolutely not. If anything, the opposite of preferential treatment." There should have been no charges, but if any had to be filed, they should have been misdemeanors and not felonies, he said, adding, "In my view, this is heavy-handed." Sala added that the sheriff's statements were inappropriate. "Those kinds of assertions, I think, undermine due process of law and undermine the fairness and integrity of the judicial system," he said. "With all due respect to the sheriff, he's not a lawyer," Sala said. "He's not the prosecutor." (Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify that Sala said no charges should have been filed against Scrivner.)
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff Donny Youngblood, Scrivner's attorney spar over felony charges, child abuse investigation, ‘preferential treatment'
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Sheriff Donny Youngblood for the first time shared his thoughts on the five felony counts the former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner faces — three counts of willful child cruelty and two counts of possessing assault rifles. Youngblood had fiery reaction on the ongoing Zack Scrivner criminal investigation as he joined 17 News at Sunrise Thursday. The sheriff was straightforward, saying he disagrees with the charges and that Scrivner is receiving special treatment, due to his family and political connections. But Scrivner's criminal defense attorney H.A. Sala vehemently disagreed with Youngblood's assessment. 'I told you 10 months ago I would if I disagreed, I would tell you. And I totally disagree. I think that he's receiving preferential treatment,' Youngblood said. At his arraignment, Scrivner pleaded not guilty to all five felony charges. One main public concern Youngblood addressed — why there were no sex crime charges, despite the complaint stating allegations, such as 'sexually penetrate, injure, cause, and permit a child, to suffer and to be inflicted with unjustifiable physical pain and mental suffering.' 'First of all, [KCSO] did the investigation. [The California Department of Justice] reviewed our investigation. There were no sex charges, even though in the charging documents they articulate a sex crime, Penal Code 288, and then they don't charge [Scrivner] with that crime, which means [he] will never have to register as a sex offender. And in my opinion, this will be plea bargained off down the road and ultimately will be a nothing,' the Sheriff detailed. Kern County Republican officials voice support in taking high-speed rail off the tracks He added, 'But he'll never be proven guilty of a sex crime because he wasn't charged with it. We do have to let it run the process, but in my opinion, a deal has already been made, and we'll see down the road if I'm wrong. If I'm wrong, I'll be standing up here telling you I was wrong.' Early Thursday afternoon, 17 News spoke exclusively with Sala to get reaction. 'With all due respect to the sheriff, he's not a lawyer,' Scrivner's attorney began. 'And there are certain elements that need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, which the sheriff did not mention… and [a sex crime] charge could not be proven and cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'So everything that's detailed in the complaint such as the penetration that's mentioned, the fact that the supervisor was under mind or mood-altering substances and treated the victim inappropriately, all of those charges you deny?' H.A. Sala: 'Well, yes.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'If you deny all those allegations, are you essentially saying the victims' claims are false then?' H.A. Sala: 'I am saying my client is innocent.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'Are there victims in the case?' H.A. Sala: 'I don't believe there are victims in this case.' The fired-up Youngblood did not hold back. 'I'm really disappointed at not only the ten months that it took, but the charges that they charged him with,' Youngblood said. '[Scrivner] walked into a courtroom, never booked. Even the president of the United States was booked, photographed and fingerprinted. Zack Scrivner was not. The judge, Mr. Sala, the AG had some type of deal where he walked into court, walked out on his own recognizance, never having been arrested in this case,' Youngblood added of how the arraignment went. He added, 'I feel like a deal was made outside the public eye, outside the courtroom, and it really is disappointing.' Sala was quick to counter those claims and call out the sheriff. 'In my opinion, [Youngblood] should've been much more objective and let the case play out in a court of law,' Sala said, noting that it felt as though the sheriff a certain attitude against Scrivner. He added there was no 'side deal' and that Scrivner was released on his own recognizance because he did not pose a flight risk or public safety threat. 'There has not been a plea bargain reached in this case,' Sala said. 17's Jenny Huh: 'Could there be down the road?' H.A. Sala: 'Well, there can always be in any criminal case.' Sala noted he was notified last Thursday afternoon that the complaint would be filed and immediately worked with the California Department of Justice to schedule an arraignment. 'There's a lot that happened this evening that the public doesn't know about. And so, we can't jump to conclusions,' Sala said. One new detail Sala told 17 News is that the night of the April Tehachapi incident, Scrivner was stabbed twice in the back. 17 News asked viewers whether they thought there's special treatment — 92% of responses said yes, Scrivner is receiving special treatment; only 8% said no, he is not. 'I'm one of the 92%,' Youngblood responded. 'There's a difference between treating someone differently than preferential treatment. He was treated differently. From the very beginning, because he was a sitting supervisor. He was the nephew of the sitting district attorney.' Which is why the case was prosecuted by the state. 'But preferential treatment, I think the public is absolutely right … And, you know, we get accused of corruption quite frequently. And sometimes we feel like we need to stand up, prove [that's not true]. And this is a perfect example of not how you handle a case like this.' Sala argued if anything, Scrivner received the opposite of preferential treatment and that he should not have been charged at all. 'He should not have been charged with felonies,' the defense attorney added. 'That was heavy handed.' On Zimmer and the conflict of interest, Sala commented, 'I can assure you 100% the District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer had no involvement whatsoever.' 17 News has not heard back from the DA's office for comment on this story. When asked how his client is doing, Sala said Scrivner remains primarily concerned about how the case is affecting his four children. 'I don't care about Zack Scrivner. I don't care about H.A. Sala. I care about the victims and how we treat them,' Youngblood concluded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
