Salem Man Found Guilty of Filming Women in Mass. Bathroom

ARLINGTON, MA — A Salem man was found guilty of using a secreted recording device to film women in the bathroom of an Arlington, MA, coffee shop in 2014, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Joseph Hennessey, now 55, of Salem, was found guilty by a Middlesex County Superior Court Jury grand jury Wednesday of four counts of photographing or videotaping a person in a state of nudity in connection. Hennessey was arrested in September of 2014 after an employee discovered a recording device in a flower pot located inside the bathroom of Kickstand Cafe in Arlington.

“In this case Hennessey intentionally targeted women while they were using the restroom, violating their right to privacy and recording them illegally,” Ryan said. “Because of the vigilance of the employee who saw something out of place, noticed a man acting suspiciously, and then called police we were able to hold this defendant accountable for his actions.”

Authorities say that Hennessey was seen on two occasions at the cafe that month, when the employee noticed the flower pot in the restroom. The employee used the restroom, noticed the flower pot directly in front of the toilet, and later saw Hennessey exit the women's restroom.

The same woman entered the bathroom eight days later and found bundle of electronics and electrical tape in the flower pot, according to the district attorney's office. Hennessey was arrested later that day.

Hennesey reportedly said at the time of his arraignment that he used the women's bathroom because he had irritable bowel syndrome and the men's room was occupied

Detectives later determined that a miniature camera with an antenna had been concealed into the bottom of the plant holder. According to the district attorney's office, A small hole had been cut into the side of the flower pot that allowed the camera lens to be inserted and concealed inside the flower pot and capture images, which were sent to a viewing device found on Hennessey.

Hennessey was indicted in December of 2014 on the charges.

“The Arlington Police Department salutes the vigilance of the employee who saw something that looked suspicious and spoke up,” Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said. “The expectation of privacy in a restroom speaks for itself, and these crimes seriously violated that fundamental right. I am grateful for the hard work of police and prosecutors who ensured that justice was served in this case.”

Hennessey's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 26.

Image credit: Arlington Police Department