Butler Mayor Wesley Dingus resigned Tuesday, February 24, after he was arrested for running down a man fleeing police and later charged with voyeurism for sniffing a girl’s underwear.
The Butler Village Council requested a special meeting on Feb. 24, citing personnel reasons.
Dinges submitted a letter of resignation, which was read at the meeting.
“Wesley Dinges resigned as Butler Village Mayor, effective immediately, not because of pressure, but because of coercion,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
Previous coverage: Butler Mayor Wesley Dinges arrested on aggravated assault charge
According to Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland, Dinges’ resignation was unanimously accepted and Council President Eric Tron will take over as mayor.
“I have mixed feelings about everything, but I’m glad things worked out the way they did, as far as tonight goes,” Trone said, according to Cleveland News 5. “I think everyone is relieved that the mayor resigned.”
What did Butler Mayor Wesley Dinges allegedly do?
Dinges was arraigned in Mansfield Municipal Court on February 19 on two misdemeanor counts of voyeurism after he was caught on camera twice sniffing a minor’s underwear in her room.
Related reading: Ohio mayor who knocked down man now charged with panty peeping
Mayor Butler was arrested on August 17, 2025, on charges of aggravated assault and vehicular assault in connection with the July 11 incident that attracted national attention.
Butler Mayor Wesley Dingus, 48, was arraigned Thursday in Mansfield Municipal Court on two counts of voyeurism involving an underage girl living at his home.
Dinges pleaded not guilty in both cases.
This article originally appeared in The Mansfield News-Journal: Ohio mayor resigns over underwear odor accusations
