Wesley Dingus, the Republican mayor of Butler, Ohio, has been arrested on voyeurism charges after authorities say a concealed camera captured him smelling an underage girl’s underwear inside his own home.
According to an incident report from the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, the accusations came from a juvenile who had been staying at Dingus’ residence. The teen reportedly hid a small camera in a bedroom. On January 13, she began receiving multiple motion alerts that recordings had been triggered.
What deputies say they saw on the footage is disturbing.
Investigators allege the video showed Dingus smelling at least four pairs of the girl’s underwear “for several seconds” and “touching his groin area over his clothes.”
Children’s services in Richland County forwarded the report to law enforcement the same day. A deputy later interviewed the girl at her school.
Authorities say a deputy contacted Dingus and set up a meeting to discuss the allegations, but the conversation never happened after his attorney advised canceling it, according to local station WKYC. Nearly a month later, on February 13, Dingus was arrested.
He appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty. A judge set bond at $10,000; Dingus was released after posting 10% of that amount. Judge Michael Kemerer ordered him to wear a GPS monitor and prohibited him from contacting the accuser.
The case was forwarded to the local prosecutor’s office on January 26. After consulting with a prosecutor, deputies prepared two court summonses charging Dingus with voyeurism, Cleveland19 reported.
Dingus, 48, is a registered Republican, according to public voter records. He became mayor of Butler in 2022 after then-mayor Joseph Stallard resigned. Dingus, who had been serving as council president, was elevated to the role and later won a full term with 199 votes in the village of fewer than 1,000 residents.
This isn’t the first time his name has landed in headlines.
In August, Dingus was indicted on four counts related to an incident in which he allegedly struck a fleeing criminal suspect with his car. According to Richland Source, officials said that on July 11 he saw a man attempting to escape police and hit the man with his vehicle to stop him. Dingus pleaded not guilty in that case as well. The injured man was expected to recover.
Now the mayor of a tiny Ohio village is facing voyeurism charges tied to alleged conduct caught on camera inside his own home.
The court process will determine what happens next. For now, Butler’s top elected official is wearing a GPS monitor and awaiting his day in court.
