Marion man held, accused of placing cameras in restrooms

Marion Police have arrested a man in connection with the discovery of cameras in restrooms at a local recreation facility and one of the college campuses in the county.

Chief Jay Mcdonald said Benjamin Dunham, age 18, Marion, was arrested on Thursday and charged with one count of voyeurism, a fifth-degree felony, and one county of interception of a wire or oral communication, a fourthdegree felony. He was taken to the Multi-county Correctional Center.

Mcdonald said police investigated a report of cameras that were found in a restroom at the Marion Family YMCA on Barks Road and in a restroom in a building at The Ohio State University at

Marion on Mount Vernon Avenue.

In a press release issued Thursday afternoon, the chief said that “it appears from the investigation that the cameras had only been in place for a brief time before being located. At this point in the investigation, only three people appear to have been captured on the illegal camera. The Marion Police Department is in the process of notifying those three individuals of the incident.”

Marion Police advise people to be “on the lookout for cameras in private spaces. Officers advise that hidden cameras are often designed to look like regular household devices, but these things can be checked to see if they are an actual camera.”

Police said there are several indicators to be aware of, noting that the first telltale sign is a light that is out of place.

Officers also encourage the public to check Wi-fi scanning applications to see how many networks are operating in that location. Every camera will have a small amount of reflective glass from the lens that may be observable to someone looking for a hidden camera. Police also advise residents that if they find a hidden camera in a private space, please contact law enforcement.

“This crime subjected several people to an absolute invasion of privacy. I am grateful that the suspect has been caught and will face the consequences for the choice he made to commit this crime,” Mcdonald said.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State University Police Department assisted Marion Police in the investigation.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com Twitter: @Andrewaccarter