A Republican mayor in Ohio is facing criminal allegations after authorities say he was recorded on a concealed camera smelling an underage girl’s underwear.

An incident report from the Richland county sheriff’s Office details the accusations against Wesley Dingus, 48, who serves as mayor of Butler. The claims came from a juvenile who had been staying at his residence.

According to investigators, the teen had hidden a small camera in a bedroom in the home. On 13 January, she reportedly received multiple motion alerts indicating recordings had been captured. Deputies say the footage showed Dingus smelling at least four pairs of her underwear “for several seconds” and also “touching his groin area over his clothes”.

Richland county children’s services passed the report along to law enforcement the same day the alleged incident occurred, and a deputy later interviewed the girl at her school.

A deputy later contacted Dingus and arranged a meeting, but the conversation did not happen after his attorney advised canceling it, local news outlet WKYC reported. Authorities arrested Dingus nearly a month later, an action that took place on 13 February.

Dingus appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty. He was released after posting 10% of a $10,000 bond. Judge Michael Kemerer required him to wear a GPS monitor and barred him from contacting the accuser.

Deputies forwarded the case to a local prosecutor’s office on 26 January. After consulting with a member of that office, deputies prepared two court summonses charging Dingus with voyeurism, according to Cleveland19. Those summonses were then delivered to Dingus.

Dingus, who is a registered Republican according to public voter records, became mayor of Butler in 2022. Then mayor Joseph Stallard resigned, and Dingus was elevated to the vacant post from his role as council president.

Dingus was soon after elected to a full term after receiving 199 votes from the village’s fewer than 1,000 residents.

In August, Dingus was indicted on four counts related to an incident in which he allegedly struck a fleeing criminal suspect with his car, the Richland Source reported. Officials say that on 11 July, he saw a man attempting to escape from police and struck the man with his vehicle to prevent him from getting away. Dingus entered a plea of not guilty in that case, and the injured man was expected to recover.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOIO) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Ohio Senate Bill 295 into law Friday.

Senate Bill 295 will increase the competency restoration time from one-year to five-years in cases of aggravated murder, murder, or where the possible sentence is life in prison.

SB 295 was sponsored by State Senator Nathan H. Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and State Senator Thomas F. Patton (R-Strongsville), with strong support from the parents of murdered Cleveland Police Officer Jamieson Ritter and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

They spoke before the Ohio House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Officer Ritter was fatally shot on July 4, 2024, in the 1500 block of E. 80th St.

His accused killer, Delawnte Hardy, 26, is currently at Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare (COBH) to see if he can be restored to competency to stand trial.

However, as of now, Hardy has still been deemed incompetent, and the deadline to review his competency was Friday.

Hardy is also accused of killing his own grandmother, Beatrice Porter, on June 28, 2024, at her Garfield Heights home.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cleveland police officer fatally shot in the city’s Hough neighborhood, suspect charged

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Officer Ritter was honored at a memorial service in Cleveland on July 8, 2024 and laid to rest in his home state of New York on July 13, 2024.

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