This is bad, very bad.
ATLANTA -- An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been arrested and charged with two counts of child molestation and one count of bestiality, police said. Police arrested Dr. Kimberly Quinlan Lindsey, 44, in DeKalb County on Sunday. Authorities also charged Lindsey's live-in boyfriend, Thomas Joseph Westerman, 42, who works at the Atlanta-based CDC as a night watchman.
The two are accused of "immoral and indecent" sexual acts involving a 6-year-old child, according to information from DeKalb County Magistrate Court and an arrest warrant.
The bestiality charge says Lindsey "did unlawfully perform or submit to any sexual act with an animal."
The alleged incidents took place between January 1, 2010 and August 22, 2011.
Westerman is out of jail on bond; Lindsey remains in jail with a $20,000 bond, said Lt. Pam Kunz of the DeKalb County Police Department.
Both went to court on Sunday for an initial appearance, and have a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 1, said Reggie Silverman, deputy clerk with DeKalb Magistrate Court.
Lindsey is the deputy director for the Laboratory Science Policy and Practice Program Office at the CDC, according to her biography on the agency's website.
Lindsey, who holds a Ph.D. in immunology, had worked as a senior researcher in the CDC's bioterrorism program, where she oversaw the re-allocation of $1.5 billion in funds.
She later switched to the centers' HIV/AIDS prevention unit, according her professional bio.
In her 12 years at the CDC, Lindsey has received 12 awards for outstanding performance on projects and programs, according to her bio on Emory University's Biological and Biomedical Sciences website. Lindsey earned her doctorate in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from the university in 1998, a year before she began work at the CDC.
CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency is aware of the case but cannot comment on personnel issues
The bestiality charge says Lindsey "did unlawfully perform or submit to any sexual act with an animal."
The alleged incidents took place between January 1, 2010 and August 22, 2011.
Westerman is out of jail on bond; Lindsey remains in jail with a $20,000 bond, said Lt. Pam Kunz of the DeKalb County Police Department.
Both went to court on Sunday for an initial appearance, and have a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 1, said Reggie Silverman, deputy clerk with DeKalb Magistrate Court.
Lindsey is the deputy director for the Laboratory Science Policy and Practice Program Office at the CDC, according to her biography on the agency's website.
Lindsey, who holds a Ph.D. in immunology, had worked as a senior researcher in the CDC's bioterrorism program, where she oversaw the re-allocation of $1.5 billion in funds.
She later switched to the centers' HIV/AIDS prevention unit, according her professional bio.
In her 12 years at the CDC, Lindsey has received 12 awards for outstanding performance on projects and programs, according to her bio on Emory University's Biological and Biomedical Sciences website. Lindsey earned her doctorate in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from the university in 1998, a year before she began work at the CDC.
CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency is aware of the case but cannot comment on personnel issues
