A Detroit man is behind bars after a 9 year old girl reported seeing a hand holding a cellphone over the top of her restroom stall inside a Michaels craft store in Southfield on October 22, 2025. Police identified the suspect as 45 year old Dale Frye of Detroit, who now faces two felony charges including capturing or distributing images of an unclothed person and using a computer to commit a crime. Investigators say Frye entered the store at 7:36 p.m. and walked out five minutes later, unaware that the child and her mother would immediately alert police with a detailed description of his clothing.
According to Southfield authorities, the girl and her mother had entered the store together and went into separate stalls. That is when the child said she spotted a hand with a cellphone extended over the divider, pointed down toward her. The girl shouted for her mother, describing a man wearing black sleeves and white shoes, information that became critical in tracking the suspect through store surveillance footage.
Police later arrested Frye at his Northlawn Street home in Detroit, a moment captured on Southfield police body cameras as officers placed him in handcuffs and removed him from the residence. Multiple phones were seized from the home during the search, with investigators now working to determine whether other victims exist. Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren praised the child and her mother for reacting quickly and refusing to remain silent about what happened that night.
“This 9 year old was paying attention and she wanted justice for what occurred to her,” Chief Barren said as he stood beside the child and her mother during a press briefing. The family, whose identities remain protected, said they were grateful to see an arrest made. The mother stated she was relieved the evidence is now in the right hands and believes this will stop anyone else from being victimized.
Police also credited broadcast media with helping move the case forward. Surveillance footage circulated widely, leading to tips, vehicle identification and, ultimately, the location of Frye. Detectives say the suspect appeared confident he would be cleared when police mentioned returning seized property, but officers were already preparing to take him into custody.
Frye is being held on a $30,000 cash or surety bond and is scheduled to return to court on December 8, 2025. Investigators encourage anyone who may have encountered similar behavior to contact Southfield Police.
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