Photos lead to arrest of Johnson man

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

Police have arrested a Johnson County man after he confessed to using hidden cameras to record a 15-year-old girl while she was dressing and showering.

Paintsville Police were contacted Saturday by a woman who said her daughter found nude photos and videos of herself. When interviewed by police, the girl said she found the images on Henry Jon Ritscher’s cell phone.

During the interview, Ritscher allegedly messaged the girl’s mother, saying he was sorry.

Ritscher’s phone was seized after police obtained a search warrant for his home. That’s where officers say they also found several surveillance cameras hidden in a tote in the garage.

When questioned about the cameras, Ritscher said he dismantled and hid them because he realized police would be coming to talk to him.

According to the police report, Ritscher gave a full confession to police, saying he had been secretly recording the girl for about a year-and-a-half, for his own sexual fantasies and had no intentions of ever actually touching the girl.

Ritscher was arrested and charged with video voyeurism, possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, and tampering with physical evidence. Each of the charges is felony, punishable by 1-to-5 years in prison.

Ritscher is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville on a $5,000 cash bond.