Karen Zimmermann made a plea for her son's innocence Thursday at a court hearing in which Shaun Zimmermann is charged with raping an 8-year-old boy.
Zimmermann Mr. Zimmermann, 20, of Mount Healthy, was identified on a surveillance video from the Value City department store in Springdale. Police say he raped a boy Sunday in a restroom.
Mr. Zimmerman waived his court appearance at his arraignment Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court. His tearful mother stood before Judge John West instead.
"Shaun steals," she said, as she stood in court trembling. "I figure he was probably in Value City stealing CDs."
She said her son, who has two unrelated theft charges pending against him, often goes into stores, takes compact discs and slips into the restroom to remove the seals.
Mr. Zimmerman, who has convictions for receiving stolen property and misuse of a credit card, also has menacing charges pending against him. He also was charged in North College Hill with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, but the alleged offense was not of a sexual nature.
He is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center in lieu of $1 million cash. A grand jury is scheduled to hear his case by Nov. 6.
