A 29-year-old food service worker at Phoenix Children's Hospital, employed by Sodexo, was arrested on June 30 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport facing dire allegations of sexual exploitation of a minor; Zackarie Allbritton has been slapped with 10 felony counts as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The case unfolded after Kik, an instant messaging app, uncovered 23 files indicating child sexual abuse linked to Allbritton, subsequently alerting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which in turn contacted the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, who, after further digital footprints, purportedly traced the incriminating online activity to Allbritton, according to a statement obtained by Arizona's Family.
Detectives say Allbritton's assignment was delivering food to hospital rooms, yet he assured authorities he had never attempted to photograph or video the children, nor engage in sexual conduct with them; he has, however, conceded to grappling with sexual fantasies about minors, as echoed in the charges read by a judge, "If you post the bond, I am ordering that you be supervised by pre-trial services in the community and that they install electronic monitoring on you prior to your release. If you do post that bond, I'm also ordering that you may not have contact with any of the arresting officers, not to have contact with any minors. You're prohibited from accessing the internet through any electronic means, except for work, school or contacting your legal counsel," further restricted from any internet-enabled gaming according to information provided by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Upon his arrest, Allbritton conceded to using his Kik account to exchange child pornography, though he claimed not to save such files on his phone, fearing discovery by his girlfriend which would reveal a "dark underworld," he told investigators, in a scramble to keep his illicit actions from tarnishing the perceived life he had meticulously crafted—however, post-arrest, Sodexo placed him on unpaid leave and anticipates termination, pending the ongoing investigation, vowing, “The safety and security of Phoenix Children’s patients and staff is our top priority. Sodexo is cooperating with the Phoenix Police Department and as of July 1, 2024, the employee has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and faces termination, pending the investigation.” in a statement released to both FOX 10 Phoenix and Arizona's Family.
