A New Hampshire man accused of secretly recording girls as well as sexual assault has pleaded not guilty.
Police say they arrested John Wilkinson, 59, of Concord, Wednesday night on seven counts of violation of privacy and one count of sexual assault, all misdemeanors. Police had issued a warrant for his arrest, and Wilkinson turned himself in.
A Concord District Court clerk said Wilkinson pleaded not guilty Thursday morning. His attorney didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
"He actually recorded himself groping a female juvenile over her clothing in the groin area," explained Concord Lt. Sean Ford.
Police said their investigation began in 2018 when a 14-year-old victim told her mother she believed she and her friend were being recorded in the bathroom at her uncle's house on Hoit Road.
After the mother went to police, a search warrant was executed and evidence including digital storage media was seized.
"Hats off to this victim. She saw something, she said something," said Ford. "She went to her mother, they came down here, and we stopped that behavior, because there is no doubt it would've continued."
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Ford said there are several victims in the case. In one instance, Wilkinson allegedly concealed a Go Pro in a magazine basket on the bathroom floor to allegedly capture middle-school aged girls on camera.
In addition to what was seized at Wilkinson's house, police said they also found evidence that shows he was taking pictures of unsuspecting women at retail stores in the area. Because that was done in a public place, police say it is not a crime.
Wilkinson posted $8,000 bail and was ordered to not have contact with anyone under the age of 18. It's unclear when his next court date is.
