Overview:

He was briefly jailed and banned from returning to the fair site. Attendees at the fair on opening day had largely not heard about the arrest.

This story has been updated to include new details from court records.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the last name of Tony Carp. Lookout Eugene-Springfield regrets the error.

A 31-year-old Elmira man was arrested July 5 on suspicion of recording people in the nude without their knowledge during setup of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta.

Elijah David Russo faces a charge of first-degree invasion of privacy and was booked into the Lane County Jail. He was released July 9, according to court records. Among the conditions of his release was an order that he not return to the fairgrounds, the records say. 

Russo was arrested during the fair’s setup weekend, regarded as a more relaxed environment for vendors, staff and volunteers, who camp and work at the site before it officially opens.

Court records allege that Russo was not an actual volunteer but posed as one, even wearing an Oregon Country Fair shirt and helping out with the fair’s flower crew.

He is alleged to have recorded more than 30 minutes of video at the Ritz, the fair’s communal shower area, around 8 p.m. on July 5. Russo is accused of hiding a cellphone camera in a toiletries caddy to record around 20 people, including a young girl who appeared to be younger than 10 years old, through the spaces in the basket.

Court documents say he admitted to filming people after being confronted by a fair worker, who thought his behavior was odd and noticed that Russo had showered multiple times and was carrying the toiletry caddy in what looked like a strategic position.

The search warrant affidavit says that Russo described the filming as a lapse of judgment, and attributed his actions to curiosity while admitting “there could have been an element of arousal.” He also told police he was aware there were juveniles at the showers when he filmed, but it wasn’t his intention to film them.

Vanessa Roy, marketing manager for the fair, declined to comment on the arrest. 

She did say that fair policies prohibit video recording. But she acknowledged that preventing nonconsensual recording is difficult, given the prevalence of mobile phones with cameras. 

“iPhones are iPhones,” Roy said. “What are you going to do about it?”

Russo’s next appearance is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Lane County Courthouse. 

Caitlin Plummer, a public defender, was assigned to represent Russo. A phone call to Plummer on July 11 was not immediately returned. A phone call to Russo was not immediately returned. Ryan W. Leal, the deputy district attorney assigned to the case, declined to comment.

The charge against Russo is a Class C felony. In Oregon, Class C felonies carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of up to $125,000.

News of the arrest was first reported by The Oregonian. 

Attendees react to arrest

The fair’s opening day July 11 welcomed vendors and guests who by and large had not heard about the arrest. Many were dismayed by the news.

Richard Schweitz, an attendee of the last six years who photographs the fair for his blog, said he makes a point of asking everyone he photographs for permission first. But a certain amount of nonconsensual photography is unavoidable in 2025.

“I think it’s just that’s the ugly truth,” he said of the arrest. “It’s a part of the modern world.”

Tony Lascano, who attended the fair in support of his wife, Julie Stoike, who is a vendor, said he wanted the fair to be transparent about the arrest, but for now, he was mostly happy with the response. 

“They’ve done their part,” he said. “They’ve banned him.”

Grace Land, who works at a vendor booth, said she wanted to know more details about the fair’s response. “You shouldn’t have to be having that thought,” she said. “There’s children running around here. They shouldn’t be recording.”

Konnie May, a vendor at the fair for 30 years who comes to Veneta from Brownsville, said that the recording was a violation of the trust implicit in the fair environment. She said that the Ritz, the public shower area, was a source of confidence for her when she was a younger woman able to see other women comfortable with their bodies. 

Hearing about the arrest, she said, was disappointing. But it wasn’t going to change her behavior. 

“I’ll still go to the Ritz and take a shower,” she said. “If somebody wants to see my fat butt, good luck.”

Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.