Search of ex-Florida GOP chairman’s phone in rape probe was illegal, judge rules

A Sarasota judge has ruled that law enforcement officials violated former Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler’s rights during their investigation into an alleged sexual battery and video voyeurism.

In a 46-page order posted early Monday morning, Sarasota County Circuit Court Judge Hunter Carroll declared that search warrants that allowed investigators to comb through Ziegler’s cell phone for documents — including hundreds of thousands of photos, videos and text messages — were “severely overbroad,” and contained communications that had “no connection” to the allegations against Ziegler.