Overview
- A Clermont County grand jury returned a 70-count indictment on June 11 charging Chief Chad Essert with 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
- Essert was arraigned in Clermont County on Monday and he bonded out after posting a $500,000 surety bond following his extradition from Pinellas County, Florida.
- Prosecutors say the alleged abuse occurred from about 2005 to 2010 while Essert worked with the Young Marines and as a JROTC instructor and that the victim was his student.
- Bethel’s mayor filed administrative charges and sent a memo alleging additional misconduct, including claims of an affair and improper advances that have prompted calls for Essert’s removal.
- Reporting and personnel records show Essert was removed or forced to resign from prior police jobs for conduct including dishonesty and sexual harassment, raising criticism of Bethel’s 2021 hiring and likely prompting deeper vetting reviews.