‘Mayberry’s photographer’ was beloved for his snaps of small-town life — then he was charged with felony peeping

A beloved local retiree known as “ Mayberry’s photographer ” to residents of Mount Airy, North Carolina — birthplace of TV legend Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry on his eponymous 60s sitcom — is facing criminal charges over accusations of snapping inappropriate pictures of unwitting passersby.

William Robert Curlee, who goes by “Robbie,” was reported to cops on Monday by an unidentified woman who said she caught Curlee using a hidden camera phone to secretly capture upskirt photos of her underwear, according to Mount Airy Police Chief Dale Watson.

Curlee, 65, had been taking pictures that day in Mount Airy’s central business district along North Main Street, when the unidentified victim became “cognizant of the activity that was going on,” Watson told The Mount Airy News . The phone in question was “either in or near [Curlee’s] camera bag,” and was pointed upward, according to Watson. He was arrested at home early Tuesday morning on one count of felony secret peeping, and was released later that afternoon on $10,000 secured bond.

On Friday, Curlee’s wife answered the phone at the couple’s home, politely declining to make her husband available for an interview.

“He’s not in right now, but I don’t think he’ll want to talk to you anyway,” Suzanne Curlee told The Independent , conceding that Curlee’s arrest has been “difficult” to deal with, especially since she has a brother in the area of the state most heavily affected by Hurricane Helene.

Watson said more women are expected to come forward with their own allegations against Curlee, whose subjects were “unaware” of the shutterbug’s unseemly aims. Police executed a search warrant at Curlee’s house, and confiscated an unknown number of additional images as evidence, according to Watson.

Until now, Curlee has had a perfectly clean criminal history, save for a single 2013 speeding violation in South Carolina, public records show. Secret peeping is charged as a misdemeanor when the perpetrator is just looking; it becomes a felony when someone “secretly or surreptitiously uses any device to create a photographic image of another person underneath or through the clothing being worn by that other person for the purpose of viewing the body of, or the undergarments worn by, that other person without their consent.”

Curlee’s last public photos, posted on Facebook the day before he took the allegedly felonious pics, showed vibrant street scenes of happy, and fully clothed, Mount Airians.

“Lots of great food and very nice folks at the Mayberry Food Truck Fest in Downtown Mount Airy!” Curlee wrote underneath.

On the day of Curlee’s arrest, one local resident tagged him along with a set of innocent pictures she posted on Facebook, writing: “One more post of "Colonel Tim’s Talent Time" with some fun photos from  Robbie Curlee! Thanks Robbie for always capturing great photos!”

After Curlee’s arrest, the tone appears to have changed considerably. On social media, outraged women in Mount Airy are organizing a trip to “pack the courtroom” when Curlee appears before a judge on October 21.

“I unequivocally condemn the heinous acts that have been committed by a once trusted volunteer,” one woman wrote online. “I too have been violated. My picture was taken. Almost all of my friends had their photo taken by Robbie. Holding our children. Smiling innocently at events.”

Curlee, who did not have a professional background in photography, moved to Mount Airy in 2018 after a career as an assistant city engineer in Columbia, South Carolina, according to The Mount Airy News . He was seen at every event in town, taking pictures of shows, festivals, and parades, as well as regular daily life, for which an adoring public dubbed him “Mayberry’s photographer.” In 2023, Curlee was given Mount Airy’s first-ever AGORA award, for contributions to the community that went “above and beyond,” got a key to the city, and was named a “North Carolina Main Street Champion.”

“I just love the small-town atmosphere,” Curlee told local CBS affiliate WNCT in April. “There is always something going on here.”

Watson, the police chief, called the allegations against Curlee “disheartening,” telling The Mount Airy News that Curlee was, in essence, “Mr. Mount Airy.”

“Some things you just don’t expect,” he said.