Republican Under Investigation for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Child

Zack Scrivner, the second district supervisor of Kern County in California, has been arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting one of his children, according to a Kern County Sheriff's office report. Scrivner was left with non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed twice in a physical altercation. His attorney had denied the allegation of sexual abuse.

Newsweek reached out to Zack Scrivner for comment via the official Kern County email address at 7:50 a.m. ET on Friday.

The Context

Scrivner, a Republican, previously served as district representative for Kevin McCarthy during his time in the State Assembly and as district director to state Senator Jean Fuller. McCarthy would go on to secure election to the House of Representatives and served as speaker between January and October 2023 when he was ousted from the role.

What We Know

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Sheriff Donny Youngblood said law enforcement received a call from District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, Scrivner's aunt, on Tuesday night claiming he was having "some type of psychotic episode" at his home in Tehachapi and was armed.

Youngblood added: "We were responding to what we believed at the time was a suicidal person having a psychotic episode, not any crime."

After arriving on the scene, they found Scrivner had been stabbed twice in the torso during a physical altercation, which, the Los Angeles Times reports, began with claims he had sexually abused one of his four children who were in the property. Scrivner's injuries were described as non-life-threatening and he was placed under arrest.

According to Youngblood, all four of Scrivner's school-age children, two boys and two girls, were at home with his parents when the incident took place. His wife, Christina, was not in the property when the events took place. In November 2023, Scrivner and his wife separated, and in March, she filed for divorce based on irreconcilable differences.

Describing Scrivner's stabbing, Youngblood said: "Child was protecting other child from what he believed occurred."

Youngblood said police obtained a search warrant and recovered 30 firearms, psychedelic mushrooms and potential evidence of sexual assault from the property.

Speaking to local TV network KGET 17, Scrivner's attorney, H.A. Sale, insisted the allegation of sexual abuse is false.

He said: "We have a reasonable basis to believe and conclude that that allegation is absolutely not reliable. It's not true. It did not occur."

Youngblood didn't say whether the alleged victim was one of Scrivner's sons or daughters. An emergency order was imposed banning the Republican politician from having any contact with his children.

Youngblood added: "It should be noted that this investigation is ongoing and not near completed."

"We still have interviews to conduct, forensic evaluations to make."

Scrivner was first elected to the Kern County Board of Supervisors in 2010 after serving for six years on the Bakersfield City Council. He went on to chair the board in 2012, 2017 and 2022, according to the official Kern County website.