An 18-year-old Ridgefield High School student has been arrested and charged with dozens of counts related to the possession and disclosure of sexually explicit images of minors after police say he accumulated approximately 10,000 hidden photos of fellow students, many of them obtained by posing online as a girl named “Hazel.”
Dennis Antonov faces dozens of charges of second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and disclosing intimate images, according to court documents obtained. Fifteen victims were identified in the documents by their initials, with the youngest being 15 years old. Ridgefield Police opened their investigation in April 2026.
According to court documents, Antonov allegedly disclosed his scheme to other students during a school field trip to New York. While in a hotel room, he reportedly told classmates he had obtained the images by pretending online to be a girl, using photos pulled from Google to gain the trust of male students at the school before soliciting nude images in return. Witnesses told police he used phone number spoofing applications to change his contact information before approaching different targets and that he was “actively catfishing someone” while others were in the room with him, asking classmates what to say to the person he was messaging.
Witnesses described how Antonov showed them zoomed-in photos of students’ faces to confirm he had the images before revealing the full nude pictures. One witness said he recognised five students from the school in the photos, describing them as full-frontal selfies and mirror images that appeared to involve only high school-aged students. Multiple witnesses were able to identify students by name from what they saw. Antonov also allegedly told those present that he had photos dating back four years to eighth grade.
A search warrant was served on Antonov’s phone on 29 April by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. A subsequent forensic examination found five applications used for phone number spoofing or social networking, consistent with the methods witnesses described.
Antonov appeared in court on 10 June. He had been expelled from school prior to his court appearance. His defence attorney noted that arrangements had been made for him to turn himself in voluntarily but that police arrested him on a Friday, leaving him in custody over the weekend. Bail was set at $5,000 with conditions prohibiting any contact with minors, the alleged victims, and restricting his internet access. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday, 12 June at 1:30 p.m.
The Ridgefield School District said it notified law enforcement as soon as it became aware of the situation and has been cooperating throughout the investigation. The district said families of impacted students were directly notified and that disciplinary measures were taken in accordance with district policy. Counsellors and support staff are available to assist students affected by the incident.
The district encouraged any student who believes they may have been impacted or who has relevant information to speak with a trusted adult, school counsellor, or law enforcement officer.
