An Arkansas man faces multiple charges in both Arkansas and Wisconsin after investigators said he secretly filmed his teenage niece, wife and others in a bathroom to distribute the video and photos online.
Joseph Higson, 33, of Arkansas, was in Brown County court Tuesday without an attorney. He told the court he plans to hire one.
Higson was charged in early July with three counts of capturing an intimate image without consent, including for one person under 18.
The alleged incidents happened in late June 2017 and the summer of 2016.
He was also charged with nine counts of possession of child pornography, and faces charges in Arkansas of distributing, possessing or viewing sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Higson and his wife were visiting family in Bellevue in June when a man was allegedly communicating with Higson online, according to court documents.
Higson allegedly told the man that he was secretly recording video and taking photos of his 14-year-old niece and other women in a bathroom in the home.
He said he used a motion-activated recording device which could, "stick out of vent slots, pockets or through zippers," according to the criminal complaint.
From June 21-26, Higson told the man he had taken several videos and images of his niece, court documents said. He also allegedly recorded his wife, her friend and his sister-in-law during visits to the home in 2016 and 2017.
On June 26, Higson allegedly said, "Got a few vids of niece. A bit more revealing this time. Got anything to trade yet?"
The videos and photos included the young woman entering and exiting the shower, as well as changing her clothes, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators from Brown County arrested Higson after a traffic stop on June 26. During questioning, Higson told investigators he uploaded videos he secretly took onto a Russian site and would trade them with other anonymous users, the criminal complaint said.
After obtaining a search warrant, Brown County investigators found a covert video recorder which was a black key fob with wires attached to the lens. They also found several memory cards, flash drives and an external hard drive.
On the hard drive, investigators found child pornography, the criminal complaint said.
Higson is also wanted for outstanding warrants in Arkansas. He is being held on a $35,000 cash bond.
VIDEO: Menasha officer becomes ill after fentanyl exposure during overdose investigation
