Dover man charged with multiple counts of violation of privacy

DOVER, Del. – Delaware State Police say they have arrested a Dover man following an investigation into a report of inappropriate photography at a high school Homecoming dance.

According to police, the incident was reported on September 29th, 2018, at Sussex Technical High School. Through further investigation, it was learned the photographer hired for the dance, identified as 34-year-old Elias Stephens, had been secretly videotaping, photographing, or filming under females’ clothing in an attempt to view their body or undergarments while he was working for an entertainment company and running a photo booth.

Detectives have identified multiple victims across the entire state of Delaware. On January 15th, Stephens was indicted on 80 counts of violation of privacy, however, during the investigation Stephens reportedly moved to Mississippi. The Long Beach Police Department in Mississippi located and arrested Stephens on January 17th.

Stephens was extradited back to Delaware on Tuesday, where he was charged and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $160,000 secured bond. Police say he is prohibited from having contact with any of the victims, will be GPS monitored and will be subject to pre-trial supervision if he posts bail, and he is not allowed to possess any device capable of taking pictures or video.

On Wednesday, Sussex Tech released a statement on the incident, saying “The District is pleased to have assisted and cooperated with the Delaware State Police during the thorough and diligent investigation. The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and our school safety officers are present at all school functions for the protection of students and staff. When concerns were brought to the attention of administrators, we acted immediately and informed law enforcement authorities on hand. Counseling services are and have been available to any member of the Sussex Tech community.”

Anyone with information on this case should contact Detective R. Mears at 302-752-3809 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.