Butler Mayor Wesley Dingus Issued Summonses After Bedroom Surveillance Video Leads to Voyeurism Investigation
RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio — The Richland County Sheriff’s Office has issued two summonses to Butler Mayor Wesley Dingus following an investigation involving allegations of voyeurism inside a residence, according to a case report released Wednesday.
The investigation began on January 13, 2026, after the sheriff’s office was contacted by Richland County Children Services regarding a complaint they had received. Authorities were provided a video allegedly showing an adult male entering the victims bedroom and engaging in inappropriate behavior involving her personal clothing.
A detective assigned to the case met the victim, on January 14 at her school along with a Children Services representative and school administration. During that interview, the teen reported longstanding suspicions that her stepfather had been entering her bedroom while she was not home, noting items appeared disturbed on multiple occasions.
According to the report, the student had recently installed a small video camera in her bedroom. On the morning of January 13, she received motion alerts on her phone shortly after leaving for school. When reviewing the footage, she observed Dingus enter her bedroom on two separate occasions and handle and smell multiple pairs of her underwear.
The victim told authorities the suspect had never touched her inappropriately or made sexual comments toward her, but said the videos made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She agreed to provide a formal recorded statement at the sheriff’s office.
Investigators consulted with Assistant Law Director Rob Sharp. Following that review, it was determined that the suspect would be issued two summonses for voyeurism, in violation of Ohio Revised Code 2907.08(A), with one count corresponding to each incident captured on video.
The case remains under review, and no additional information regarding court dates or further charges has been released at this time.
