Former Ann Arbor pianist sentenced to federal prison; investigators say he traveled to Ohio to have sex with underage girls
An Ann Arbor pianist who investigators say traveled to Ohio to force two underage girls to perform sex acts on him in a parking garage was sentenced last week to more than 12 years in prison, federal court records show.
David Jeremy Zobel, 33, the former music director at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ypsilanti who also was a pianist with the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club, pleaded guilty last January to coercion and enticement of a minor.
During Zobel's sentencing Wednesday in federal court in Dayton, U.S. District Judge Walter Rice ordered that the prison term be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
In June of 2009, FBI agents say, Zobel drove two girls, ages 12 and 13, from Xenia to a parking garage about 170 miles away in Toledo, then locked the car's doors. He wouldn't let the girls out, court records show, until each performed a sex act on him and let him photograph their breasts.
Investigators say Zobel met the 13-year-old girl on the social networking website MySpace.com and communicated with her in sex chat rooms and by text. Zobel was sentenced to a total of 12 years, 6 months in prison and must do 100 hours of community service upon his release, documents say.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Xenia police.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com
Comments
tommy_t
Wed, Mar 16, 2011 : 12:25 a.m.
Wait till he meets the new Glee Club.
rrt911
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 11:55 p.m.
It is never lost on me, the number of men with religious backgrounds who commit this sort of crime. What do you suppose the correlation is, that they are men, or that they are religious? In any case, tired of hearing people with positions inside the church being predators--disgusted, again.
Jojo B
Wed, Apr 20, 2011 : 3:22 p.m.
It could be argued that many people seek shelter in religion to battle and hide from their own demons, thinking or hoping that it will change them. Most often, it does not. Many of us who are spiritual, yet not desperately religious in any sort of organized way, don't have this battle of good and bad going on in our hearts and minds. It's much easier for us to not engage in atrocious behavior.
RJA
Tue, Mar 15, 2011 : 7:28 a.m.
Parents need to keep a careful watch on their childrens dealings on my space. 12 and 13 yr. olds?
Marshall Applewhite
Mon, Mar 14, 2011 : 11:38 p.m.
You can't always listen to the pianist. He will sometimes lead you astray, as we've seen here. :)
free
Mon, Mar 14, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
It's a good thing he was sentenced in federal court, or he would probably have gotten probation.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Mar 14, 2011 : 10:08 p.m.
They are missing a "0" on that 12 year sentence as far as I'm concerned. It ought to read...... "An Ann Arbor pianist.... was sentenced.... to more than 120 years in prison, federal court records show."