Akron police officer charged in Canton with 21 counts of inappropriately filming girls

CANTON − An Akron police officer is accused of creating obscene material by filming underage girls.

Mikel J. Dillon, 32, who lives in Canton and is a former Canton police cadet, was arrested on warrants Tuesday and booked into the Stark County Jail on 21 felony counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor.

He was arraigned Thursday in Canton Municipal Court where Judge Richard J. Kubilus set bond at $2.1 million.

A Canton police detective filed the 21 complaints, which claim that for more than a year from March 29, 2021, to Dec. 11, 2022, Dillon "did create obscene material when he filmed Jane Doe, who is a minor, in a state of nudity" in Canton.

Canton City Prosecutor Katie Erchick Gilbert said Dillon filmed the girl 20 times. He is also was charged with filming another victim once.

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Erchick Gilbert, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to offer more details about the relationship between Dillon and the victims, or how and where the filming took place.

"We filed the warrant as soon as we had probable cause to do so," she said. "We didn't want to wait."

The times Dillon is accused of filming the girls overlaps with the time he was employed as a Canton police cadet and Akron police officer.

Akron police said Dillon had been with the department for 15 months. Following his arrest, "he was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay, per departmental procedure and according to the union contract, pending a criminal indictment," the city said in a prepared statement.

“I am beyond shocked by these charges against one of our employees," Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said. "This alleged behavior is disgusting. Any person found to have engaged in this kind of behavior should be held accountable to the extent the law allows. I am confident the legal process will reveal the truth, either way, and justice will be served.”

The department's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability also will conduct a separate internal investigation, the city said.

Andrea Perry, the director of public safety for Canton, confirmed that Dillon was a Canton police cadet from Dec. 2, 2020 to Oct. 29, 2021. She said he chose to leave the Canton Police Department to be an Akron officer before his 12-month probationary period with Canton ended.

Dillon's attorney Rick Pitinii declined to comment on the allegations, saying it was too early in the case.

According to a related Canton police report listed on court complaints, an 11-year-old girl was inappropriately touched by a known suspect at a home on Fifth Street NW. Dillon's address is listed as being on Fifth Street NW. The report indicated the incidents took place between Feb. 1 and Dec. 30, 2022.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @aknappINDE

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mikel Dillon, an Akron cop, charged with obscenity involving a minor