An individual was arrested and charged after reportedly photographing more than a dozen women in a first floor Olin restroom (Photo by Curran Neenan / Student Life).

A man has been charged with 15 counts of invasion of privacy after allegedly photographing more than a dozen people inside women’s restroom stalls at John M. Olin Library. 

Prosecutors said the defendant, Dennis Dill, 30, photographed women in various stages of undress inside Olin restroom stalls on Nov. 19 and Nov. 25. Dill, who is unaffiliated with WashU, allegedly took the photos by placing his phone in a side pocket of his backpack and pushing the backpack into adjacent stalls. 

Surveillance footage indicates that Dill was in a women’s restroom on the first floor of Olin for about five hours on Nov. 19. Corner 17 employees confronted Dill on Nov. 25 after noticing suspicious activity in the restroom stalls. Soon after, the WashU Police Department arrested Dill and launched an investigation into his actions, during which officers obtained a warrant to search his phone. 

Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith said Dill was already on probation for a similar offense at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) when he allegedly photographed women at Olin Library. SWIC is located in Belleville, Illinois, where Dill is a resident. 

“You would hope that somebody being on probation would help them to realize they needed to change their ways,” she said. “Whereas, not only does he not seem concerned about being on probation, he’s actually escalated and doing it even more. That, to me, is a red flag.”

Of the 15 counts filed against Dill, 14 are classified as Class E felonies and one as a Class A misdemeanor. The 14 counts are considered felonies because they happened “during the same course of time,” while the misdemeanor occurred on a different day, according to Price Smith.  

Dill is currently held at the St. Louis County Jail, located on the uppermost floors of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center, where Price Smith gave a press conference about the case on Feb. 5. He is held on a $100,000 cash-only no surety bond. Price Smith assigned Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Paul Frisella to serve on the case.

Dennis Dill, 30, a resident of Belleville, Illinois, was charged with 15 counts of invasion of privacy. He is unaffiliated with WashU.

One of the victims — who asked to be anonymous for safety reasons —- told Student Life in December that her experience of being photographed in the stall was difficult for her. 

“This whole thing [was] a little traumatizing. I’ve seen it in the news, but I did not expect that it would happen [to] me or anyone I know,” she said. “I kind of have an ‘Oh, my God’ mindset; I have to check everywhere I go now.” 

She added that she hopes coverage of the case will prompt women to be more aware of their surroundings and take steps to protect their safety. 

When asked to elaborate on the psychological aspects and fear surrounding the case, Frisella said that, to his knowledge, the images found on the suspect’s phone had not been circulated.

“We have no evidence that [the images] were distributed or disseminated out into the public,” Frisella said. 

Price Smith said the case is timely because of what it reveals about safety and privacy in society. 

“I think this case, like so many of the cases that we have here and that are in the news, is unfortunate,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that this is the world we live in. It’s unfortunate that we have to look around when we walk to our cars. It’s unfortunate that, after this story, I think we all feel that we need to look up and down when we are in literally a restroom stall. That’s not somewhere we should have to worry that we don’t have privacy.” 

Price Smith also took the opportunity to address the WashU community. 

“This is a call out to these students or faculty that believe they may have been a victim of Mr. Dill,” she said. 

Price Smith commended WUPD for its investigation into the suspect’s actions at Olin, even though it was slowed by the interruption of Winter Break.

“They really had to do a lot of legwork to find the victims, to find this individual, to get the evidence search warrant for his phone, all of those things they did an excellent, excellent job in terms of WashU security,” she said. 

According to Missouri Case Net, the two attorneys working on Dill’s defense thus far are Daniel A. Juengel and Anna Marchiony, both of Frank & Juengel Law Group P.C. Marchiony filed a motion for bond reduction on Feb. 5, which will be heard on Feb. 11 at 10:00 a.m. by Judge Julia Pusateri Lasater, who will preside over the case. 

Price Smith emphasized the importance and impact of a victim’s decision to come forward. 

“The power of a victim’s voice is so incredible,” she said. “Once a victim discloses, [they] are no longer anyone’s victim …  When these people come forward, it is taking their voice back.”  

If you believe you or someone else you know may have been a victim of Dill, contact WUPD at (314) 935-5555. You can report a crime in retrospect anonymously through the Silent Witness Form. 

The Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m during the fall and spring academic semesters.

There are counselors at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center, located in Seigle Hall, Suite 435, available confidentially to any University student. The office can be reached at 314-935-3445 or by email at mailto:[email protected].

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 or via online chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online 24/7.

To reach Title IX, students can contact Title IX Coordinator Jessica Kennedy at 314-935-3118 or go to the Title IX Office in Umrath Hall 001.