KERN COUNTY, CA - Lawmakers in the state of California are enraged after an "Epstein loophole" reportedly allowed a Kern County politician charged with felony child abuse to dodge jail time by entering a mental health diversion program.
Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged in February 2025 with child abuse and possession of assault weapons, the New York Post reported. However, he avoided a child sexual-assault charge after allegedly climbing into bed with a child and touching him/her inappropriately while under the influence of drugs.
Critics of the 2018 diversion program law said it's being used as a get-out-of-jail-free card by those committing serious crimes. "I specialize in family and addiction medicine, so I know the value of mental health diversion," Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains said in a statement to the LA Times.
"It was designed to help people get treatment and rehabilitation in appropriate cases, not to provide an escape hatch to sexually assault children," Bains added. "This Epstein loophole needs to be closed."
Scrivner has deep political ties and is the nephew of Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, who alerted authorities to his alleged crimes and recused herself from the case.
Among those completely outraged by the outcome of Scrivner's case is Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, who had received a call from the DA on April 23, 2024, saying her nephew was armed and having "some type of psychotic episode" at his home.
Police arrived at Scrivner's home to find him stabbed in the torso by one of his children after allegedly sexually assaulting his other child, Youngblood said at a news conference. Scrivner's four minor children were inside the home, while his wife, who had filed for divorce, was out.
Police later found 30 firearms, psychedelic mushrooms, electronic devices, and potential evidence of sexual assault inside the home. Scrivner, however, was not immediately arrested. Youngblood later confirmed that there was no one available to arraign the supervisor.
The case was eventually turned over to Attorney General Rob Bonta after Zimmer's recusal. Youngblood has since said the AG's office botched the case by omitting a sex crime charge.
"I can only speak for the sheriff's office, and I can tell you that the deputies who investigated that did absolutely the right thing," Youngblood said. "I believe that the children were all on board and would have done exactly what the court asked them to do, and that is, tell the truth. So from my standpoint, this stinks."
The case overall put a spotlight on the effectiveness of mental health diversionary programs as a whole when they are being used inappropriately. "People are becoming very skeptical of mental health treatment because it's being used in ways nobody ever intended," Matthew Greco, deputy district attorney of San Diego County and author of the California Criminal Mental Health Manual, said.
"We know the central premise behind mental health diversion is that if we obtain mental health treatment for those who are mentally ill [who] are committing crimes, the public will be safer," he said. "But we need to have both public safety and treatment."
Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged in February 2025 with child abuse and possession of assault weapons, the New York Post reported. However, he avoided a child sexual-assault charge after allegedly climbing into bed with a child and touching him/her inappropriately while under the influence of drugs.
Critics of the 2018 diversion program law said it's being used as a get-out-of-jail-free card by those committing serious crimes. "I specialize in family and addiction medicine, so I know the value of mental health diversion," Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains said in a statement to the LA Times.
"It was designed to help people get treatment and rehabilitation in appropriate cases, not to provide an escape hatch to sexually assault children," Bains added. "This Epstein loophole needs to be closed."
Scrivner has deep political ties and is the nephew of Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, who alerted authorities to his alleged crimes and recused herself from the case.
Among those completely outraged by the outcome of Scrivner's case is Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, who had received a call from the DA on April 23, 2024, saying her nephew was armed and having "some type of psychotic episode" at his home.
Police arrived at Scrivner's home to find him stabbed in the torso by one of his children after allegedly sexually assaulting his other child, Youngblood said at a news conference. Scrivner's four minor children were inside the home, while his wife, who had filed for divorce, was out.
Police later found 30 firearms, psychedelic mushrooms, electronic devices, and potential evidence of sexual assault inside the home. Scrivner, however, was not immediately arrested. Youngblood later confirmed that there was no one available to arraign the supervisor.
The case was eventually turned over to Attorney General Rob Bonta after Zimmer's recusal. Youngblood has since said the AG's office botched the case by omitting a sex crime charge.
"I can only speak for the sheriff's office, and I can tell you that the deputies who investigated that did absolutely the right thing," Youngblood said. "I believe that the children were all on board and would have done exactly what the court asked them to do, and that is, tell the truth. So from my standpoint, this stinks."
The case overall put a spotlight on the effectiveness of mental health diversionary programs as a whole when they are being used inappropriately. "People are becoming very skeptical of mental health treatment because it's being used in ways nobody ever intended," Matthew Greco, deputy district attorney of San Diego County and author of the California Criminal Mental Health Manual, said.
"We know the central premise behind mental health diversion is that if we obtain mental health treatment for those who are mentally ill [who] are committing crimes, the public will be safer," he said. "But we need to have both public safety and treatment."
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