A law enforcement official in Millersburg, Indiana, is facing criminal charges after allegedly admitting to stealing underwear from his son's girlfriend.

Town Marshal David Keith Hathaway, 59, has been charged with two counts of conversion, a class A misdemeanor, after allegedly taking panties belonging to his son's girlfriend, who lives in his house.

The victim told Indiana State Police she first suspected something was going on in October 2013, when she found a pair of her panties in a gallon-sized bag, along with several other pairs of female underwear. The bag with the purloined panties were hidden in a safe belonging to Hathaway, the Elkhart Truth reports.

Both the victim and her boyfriend, Hathaway's son, confronted the suspect about his panty collection and he told them it was a joke.

After the victim found another pair of her panties wet and crumbled under her bed, she and her boyfriend set up a hidden camera in the room. They were shocked by what they saw when they reviewed the video.

According to the affidavit, the video showed Hathaway entering her bedroom, picking up a pair of underwear she had left on the floor, holding the panties up to his nose and inhaling deeply.

He then allegedly put those panties back on the floor, grabbed another pair and left the room.

A detective on the case told Fox28.com that Hathaway admitted "that he does have a problem, namely a panty fetish, for which he is seeking 'help.'"

Hathaway also allegedly admitted to having the victim's panties in a safe with several other pairs.

Hathaway has been charged with two counts of criminal conversion, which is the crime of exerting “unauthorized” control over property of another person.

It is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, and a fine up to $5000, according to a release from the Elkhart County Prosecutor.

The Millersburg Town Council has been informed of the charges, but has not commented publicly, according to the Associated Press.