A former Cedar Springs man recently pleaded no contest to two counts of child pornography in Kent County’s 17^th Circuit Court.

According to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and Circuit court records, Brian James Zimmer, 41, pled no contest on November 27 to one count of child sexually abusive commercial activity and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, as part of a plea deal. Two other charges were then dropped. 

According to court records, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent acting in an undercover capacity downloaded a child porn video on October 17, 2016, from someone that was later identified as Brian James Zimmer, of Cedar Springs. On February 7, a search warrant was executed at his then residence on Becker CT NE. Computers there were seized and examined, and 433 images of child pornography were discovered. Zimmer then confessed to agents in an interview on February 7.

Zimmer was then arrested in April, and released on bond. He has since moved to Twin Lakes.

The prosecutor’s office recommended a guideline range of 21-35 months minimum sentence to be served concurrently on both counts. Zimmer is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29 at 2 p.m.

Timothy Warren Vallier

The head coach of the men’s rowing team at Rockford Public Schools has been fired and arraigned on charges after allegedly recording videos of female athletes changing their clothes.

Timothy Warren Vallier, 30, was arrested on Friday, July 8, and has been arraigned in 63rd District Court on two obscenity charges—one charge of child sexually abusive commercial activity and one charge of possession of child sexually abusive material; and two charges of using a computer in the commission of a crime.

Rockford Public School Superintendent Mike Shibler contacted the Kent County Sheriff Department on the morning of July 8 after receiving a call from one of the crew (rowing) parents informing him that a video camera had been found in a crew vehicle with inappropriate footage.

Two assistant coaches in the vehicle reportedly saw the camera, and when one of the girls got curious and looked at it, found footage of two female athletes changing their clothes inside the changing room area of the Rockford Crew House located at 5501 Jupiter Ave., in Plainfield Township.

In a note sent home to parents, Shibler said that he contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s Department immediately, and turned over the camcorder within the hour.

“Once I became aware of the video, my first priority was to contact law enforcement in the hopes of identifying and getting the perpetrator off the streets to protect our students,” he said. “Thanks to the excellent work of detectives, this happened within 12 hours of the district learning about the video. Law enforcement asked that this be kept confidential while they conducted their investigation.”

Vallier reportedly admitted to police that he put the camcorder in the girls changing room on multiple occasions. He also said he has done this several times over the last few years, and has videos of other female athletes.

He is being held in the Kent County Jail on $100,000 cash/surety bond. The case is still under investigation.

“My thoughts are with those affected,” wrote Shibler in his letter to parents. “The fact that this can happen despite all of our safeguards to protect students is extremely troubling.”