West Sacramento man arrested in sex sting operation

A West Sacramento man was arrested after showing up for what he believed was a meeting to have sex with a 15-year-old girl, officials said Sunday.

After months of inappropriate conversations, including sending nude photographs, Timothy Zellner, 51, arranged the meeting with a person he believed to be an underage girl in Auburn, according to information shared on Facebook by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested Zellner when he drove to Auburn and waited in his parked car, expecting to pick up the teenage girl, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s deputies and detectives approached the parking lot and ordered Zellner to get out of his car after he tried to back out.

Zellner was arrested and booked at the Auburn Main Jail, the Sheriff’s Office said. His bail is set at $360,000.

This story was originally published August 19, 2018 at 1:16 PM.