Butler Mayor Arrested on Voyeurism Charges

Wesley Dingus, the 48-year-old mayor of Butler, Ohio, was arrested last month on two misdemeanor counts of voyeurism after a teenage girl staying at his home allegedly captured him on video smelling her underwear and touching his groin area.

The incidents occurred on January 13 in Dingus's residence in the rural village of Butler, which has fewer than 1,000 residents. According to an incident report from the Richland County Sheriff's Office, the girl, a juvenile whose exact relationship to Dingus was not specified, had hidden a small camera in her bedroom due to suspicions that he was entering the room uninvited. She left for school around 7 a.m. and received motion alerts on her phone about 15 minutes later. The first video showed Dingus entering the bedroom, picking up at least four pairs of her previously worn underwear, and smelling them for several seconds while touching his groin over his clothing. A second alert arrived shortly after at 7:17 a.m., capturing similar actions.

Richland County Children's Services received the report that day and forwarded it to law enforcement. A deputy interviewed the girl at her high school the following day, where she described her...