Man accused of putting hidden camera in Target dressing room

An Appleton man faces 16 charges for allegedly using cameras to record women while they were undressing -- including at a mall department store.

Andrew Persen, 28, is charged with 10 felony counts of capturing an intimate representation, five misdemeanor counts of invading privacy using a surveillance device, and one misdemeanor count of posting a private image without consent.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3, according to court records.

According to the criminal complaint:

A woman contacted police, saying she believed Persen -- a friend of hers -- posted a video of her nude in her own bathroom on a popular adult website.

Police obtained a search warrant for Persen’s Appleton home. He admitted to placing cameras at his friend’s bathroom, also placed a hidden surveillance camera in a dressing room at Target in the Fox River Mall, and one at his own home.

Police reviewed the videos captured at the store. The images include pictures of Persen setting up the camera, as well as multiple women changing their clothes. Police found a Velcro strip at the store’s changing room, where Persen said he put the camera, the complaint states.

There is no indication in the complaint that any of the video recorded in the store dressing room was placed online.