N.H. Man Indicted on Charges he Secretly Videotaped Women in Arlington Cafe
A New Hampshire man who previously worked for the Arlington DPW has been indicted on charges of secretly videotaping women in a public restroom in Arlington.
A Middlesex County grand jury has indicted Joseph Hennessey, 53, of Salem, on charges of photographing or videotaping a person in a state of nudity (four counts) and with interception of oral communications.
Police Chief Frederick Ryan said in a news release: “We commend the women who were victimized for working with our detectives on this investigation. On the spectrum of privacy invasion, this is as bad as it gets.”
District Attorney Marian Ryan said in the release, “People need to act on their instincts because usually when they sense something isn’t adding up they’re correct. In this case, the employee saw something out of place, noticed a man acting suspiciously and then called police. The employee stopped a situation that was an extreme example of an invasion of privacy.”
Employee Found Flower Pot
Arlington police arrested Hennessey on Sept. 13 at the Kickstand Café, 594 Mass. Ave., after an employee found a flower pot that contained a secreted recording device in the women’s bathroom. Hennessey allegedly told the employee the flower pot belonged to him.
According to authorities, Hennessey was seen on two occasions at the café in September when the employee noticed the flower pot in the restroom. On the first occasion, Sept. 5, the employee used the restroom, noticed a flower pot directly in front of the toilet, exited the bathroom and later saw an individual the employee says was Hennessey allegedly exiting the women’s restroom. The employee reportedly left a note for her supervisor about the incident.
On the second occasion, slightly more than a week later, the same employee has told authorities she saw Hennessey again. On Sept. 13, the employee used the women’s restroom, noticed the same flower pot, picked it up and in moving the basket found a bundle of electronics and electrical tape.
The employee then reported that she heard someone outside the restroom speaking and knocking on the door. The employee claims the individual was Hennessey and that Hennessey told her the flower pot belonged to him.
Terminated as Town Employee
Police were called to the café and Hennessey was arrested.
YourArlington reported in September that Hennessey is an Arlington DPW employee who has been off the job for more than a year on workers’ compensation because of a workplace injury.
Caryn Molloy, town personnel director, said Sept. 15 that Hennessey’s start date in town was April 18, 2001.
Asked about his current town-employee status, Malloy wrote Wednesday, Dec. 17: “His employment with the Town of Arlington was terminated effective Wednesday October 1, 2014.”
The charges on which Hennessey has been indicted are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Ceara Mahoney. This case was investigated by the Arlington Police Department.