Scott Perry’s Campaign Ad Highlights Controversial Allegations Against Janelle Stelson

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) has launched a campaign commercial that draws attention to claims regarding his opponent, Democrat Janelle Stelson, suggesting that she appeared naked outside her home within view of a neighbor’s grandchild. This assertion stems from a written statement made by a neighbor who reportedly claimed to have captured the event in a photograph.

The ad’s narrator claims, “Disgraced TV reporter Janelle Stelson has been exposed, literally. First, Stelson got caught making a degrading racial slur live on TV. Stelson got exposed using illegals as campaign workers. One Stelson illegal was even arrested for exposing his genitals in public.”

“Now police have been called to investigate Stelson for exposing herself totally naked to a neighborhood child,” the narrator adds. “Janelle Stelson. She’s not fit to serve.”

A report from October 21 details statements from neighbor Sharon Orr, who indicated she reported the incident to police on August 14 after allegedly witnessing Stelson outdoors with her “breasts and buttocks fully exposed and in plain sight of my minor aged grandchild.”

Orr claimed to have photographed Stelson and mentioned having seen her inadequately clothed before. According to Orr, East Pennsboro Township police told her Stelson claimed she was wearing “a nude bra and panties,” yet Orr maintained the photo contradicted this explanation.

However, this photograph has not been made public, and Perry’s campaign admitted it does not have a copy of it. East Pennsboro Township police confirmed to a local news source that they responded to the complaint at both Stelson and Orr’s residences but did not release any reports or records. Notably, no criminal charges have been filed against Stelson regarding these allegations.

Furthermore, in a letter dated August 26 to another media outlet, Police Chief William S. Diehl denied a request for any incident reports connected to an address on Oyster Mill Road, citing legal exemptions for investigative records under Pennsylvania law. The letter did not provide details about any specific incident.

In response to the allegations, Stelson’s campaign manager, Alma Baker, called it a “pathetic, desperate attempt by Scott Perry to rescue his failing campaign, with easily disproven lies.” Baker mentioned that Stelson has previously faced stalking and harassment and is now being targeted by unfounded claims aimed at damaging her reputation.

The community’s response to these allegations has varied. Several signs supporting Perry were observed near Orr’s home, which is just a short distance from Stelson’s. When approached by a reporter, Orr threatened to call the police and refused to discuss her statement or the photograph, stating, “Nobody has talked to me about even releasing or talking to anybody” in the media.

On the other hand, another neighbor, Steve Dillon, who lives on the opposite side of Stelson’s property, expressed skepticism about the accusation. “All I know is that she wasn’t [naked],” Dillon stated, noting that he often saw Stelson outside, always dressed. He speculated that her clothing could have been misinterpreted as nudity but insisted full nudity “would not be in character with what I’ve gotten to know of her.” Dillon also raised questions about how such an incident could remain unnoticed in a creek area popular with kayakers and canoeists.

Perry’s advertisement further references the arrest of Chimaobim Adedayo Igbojekwe, a Nigerian national accused of indecent exposure in East Pennsboro Township. Igbojekwe, who overstayed his visa, had been linked to Stelson’s campaign for allegedly distributing her campaign flyers just before his arrest. Stelson’s campaign, along with an attorney representing Igbojekwe, denied any connection between him and the campaign, though scrutiny around this matter remains.

The controversy also ties back to past campaign advertisements where Stelson criticized Perry’s support for the FairTax Act of 2025, arguing it would impose a tax burden on working individuals. The National Republican Congressional Committee accused her of misrepresenting Perry’s stance by not mentioning the federal taxes that would be eliminated under the proposed legislation.

Recently, Stelson attended an event featuring a survivor of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, receiving political backing from WelcomePAC, which has significantly funded her congressional campaign. Issues have also arisen around donations from Reid Hoffman, a well-known Democrat donor associated with Epstein, although he has denied any wrongdoing.

Throughout her campaign, Stelson has committed to tackling government corruption, as she faces Perry again in a rematch of their previous congressional election, where she nearly won by a slim margin of about 5,000 votes.