Marcus Deweese Sr. (Fishers Police Department)
A 43-year-old man in Indiana was arrested last week for allegedly using hidden cameras in his home and places of employment to secretly film more than a dozen minor and adult females — including members of his own family — who were using the bathroom and changing clothes in areas the victims believed were private.
Marcus Deweese Sr. was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, two counts of photographing sexual conduct of a minor, 13 counts of voyeurism, and three counts of videotaping the sexual conduct of a minor, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a press release from the Fishers Police Department, the investigation into Deweese began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) contacted authorities with a tip regarding possible child sexual abuse material being uploaded by a Google user. Investigators say they were subsequently able to connect the Google email account to Deweese.
Investigators on March 23 obtained and executed a search warrant on Deweese’s home located in the 2500 block of East Seventh Street in Anderson, about 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis. During the search, police say they recovered digital evidence that included “child pornography and voyeurism material.”
“DeWeese used hidden cameras to record victims in various stages of undress at his residence and at his former employer,” the release states. “At this time, all of the victims have been identified and detectives are working on notifying those involved.”
The Herald Bulletin reported that police found over 400 images and videos of girls estimated to be between the ages of 9 and 16.
A sworn affidavit of probable cause obtained by Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR provided additional details about the depravity of Deweese’s alleged conduct, which included surreptitiously filming more than 140 women, including his wife and her children.
Investigators reportedly say that Deweese hid the spy cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms at his place of employment as well as several of his homes, using electrical outlets, closets, and vents to camouflage the devices from detection. He allegedly made approximately 140 recordings and took 424 pictures.
The court documents reportedly do not say where Deweese was employed, but he allegedly told police that he first started placing cameras in the bathrooms at work in 2016 and would begin recording when someone went in to use the restroom.
Additionally, prosecutors reportedly accused Deweese of filming teenage girls undressing while standing just outside of their windows — meaning he was only a few feet from the victims at the time.
Deweese’s wife, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to WTHR about the alleged violations perpetrated against her, her family, and the other victims. She told the station that she did not have any idea what Deweese was up to prior to police entering her home with a search warrant.
“Cameras were in the bathrooms, both of them. They were in the ceiling fan, the vents, the light, that’s where they were,” she said, adding, “I think that he’s a monster.”
Deweese’s wife said that investigators asked for her help in identifying some of the victims Deweese allegedly filmed inside their home.
“I had to look at videos of friends and family to identify. They even asked if I wanted to see the videos of myself. Of course, I declined. There aren’t even any words to describe it. It’s horrifying,” she told the station. “It’s the ultimate violation: just watching unsuspecting women in the shower, underage women, girls in the shower. It’s unimaginable how many people that he’s hurt.”
Deweese is currently being held at the Madison County Jail on a $100,000 cash or surety bond.
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