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VERNAL — Vernal's former city attorney is accused of secretly filming female employees in the restroom at his law office.
Dennis Judd, 69, of Naples, was charged Wednesday in 8th District Court with two counts of voyeurism and stalking, class A misdemeanors.
The Utah Attorney General's Office began its investigation into Judd approximately seven months ago, after Uintah County Sheriff's deputies were called on March 15 to Judd's law firm, 497 S. Vernal Ave., "on a reported sexual exploitation of a minor and voyeurism," according to charging documents.
Two employees at the firm "had discovered numerous printed pornographic photos and two SD cards in an unlabeled file folder which had been left in a drawer with other office personnel files," the charges state. "While viewing the contents of one of the SD cards, the employees discovered digital video files that showed their employer, who they identified as Dennis Judd, putting up a camera inside the employee bathroom ceiling vent. Additional videos on the SD card showed recordings of Judd's various female employees using the bathroom."
Another folder with an employee's name on it contained photos of the woman, photos of holiday cards and gifts allegedly from the woman, and copies of text messages between Judd and the woman, according to the charges.
"The documents went into great detail about conversations Judd had with (the woman), his feelings of attraction to her, and several photos of (her) from her Facebook and other social media sources, including one of her in a bikini," the charges state.
The folder also contained a document of notes that Judd had allegedly based on discussions between he and the woman and conclusions he had made about very personal aspects of her life, according to the charges.
Investigators also collected evidence that "several small spy cameras had been ordered beginning February 2021" through Amazon, the charges state.
Judd, who served as the attorney for Vernal and Naples, resigned in March when the investigation started.
On Wednesday, all 8th District Court judges recused themselves from the case, according to court records. The case will be reassigned to a judge outside of the 8th District. On Thursday, Judd's attorney, Loni DeLand, submitted in writing a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client and requested a jury trial.
