The events in the case of David Scott Zimmerman, a basketball coach at Vincentian High School in Pittsburgh:


1993
Vincentian High School hires Zimmerman to coach boys’ basketball. A year later, he added teaching English and running the athletic department to his portfolio.

June 1995
Vincentian principal rates Zimmerman’s work as unsatisfactory because of failure to follow rules and improper conduct.

August 1995
A basketball player tells Vincentian’s principal that Zimmerman forced him to choose among three inappropriate actions in return for keeping a secret. The principal dropped her inquiry when the parents took their son out of  the school.

December 1998
Another player and his parents complain to Vincentian about Zimmerman’s conduct. Zimmerman is forced to resign. McCandless police are notified and interview 13 boys who describe sexual misconduct by Zimmerman.

January 1999
Vincentian agrees not to disclose why Zimmerman resigned, and Zimmerman agrees not to sue Duquesne.

March 1999
McCandless police charge Zimmerman with corruption of minors and simple assault.

July 1999
U.S. Attorney charges Zimmerman with possession of child pornography.

January 2001
Zimmerman pleads guilty to corruption of minors and is sentenced to one year of probation.

October 2002
Federal pornography charge is dismissed because of an improper search warrant.

July 2008
Harmar police charge Zimmerman with sexual assault of a 20-year-old man.

October 2009
Zimmerman pleads no contest to simple assault in the Harmar case. He is sentenced to 12 month’s probation.
 

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Bill Heltzel was a reporter for PublicSource between 2012 and 2014.