Appleton man accused of placing hidden camera in a Target dressing room

An Appleton man is accused of placing a hidden camera in a friend's bathroom and bedroom, and in a dressing room at the Target in the Fox River Mall.

Andrew Persen, 28, is charged with ten counts of Capturing an Intimate Representation Without Consent, five counts of Invasion of Privacy-Surveillance Device, and one count of Posting or Publish a Sexually Explicit Image Without Consent.

According to the criminal complaint, Persen's friend from high school told officers that she believed Persen posted a nude video of her online without her consent.

The video was posted to a porn website around June under the user name "FlemSmack." It appeared to be hidden camera footage from her bathroom.

Officers executed a search warrant on October 20 at Persen's home and found a number of electronic storage devices.

The criminal complaint says Persen admitted to officers that he placed hidden cameras in his friend's bathroom and bedroom in the spring of 2017.

Persen also admitted placing a hidden camera in a dressing room at Target in the Fox River Mall.

The criminal complaint says there were 66 videos taken on April 6 of women in a dressing room at Target.

A Target spokesperson tells Action 2 News the store is committed to creating a safe shopping environment.

"At Target, our guests are at the center of everything we do and our commitment to creating a safe and secure shopping environment in our stores is unwavering. As part of this commitment to safety, we have robust procedures, policies and trainings in place to ensure that our stores are safe places to shop and work. Since this is an active investigation, please contact law enforcement with further questions."

The criminal complaint also says Persen put a hidden camera in his own bathroom shower to capture his adult sister.

Police also found drug-related items and a handgun.

On Monday, bond was set at $10,000 for Persen.

His preliminary hearing is on November 3, at 3:30 p.m.