Bethel Police Chief Faces 70 Charges After Return to Ohio

Chad Essert, once the head of Bethel’s police force, is back in Clermont County after being extradited from Florida. The sheriff’s office booked him into jail late Thursday evening, and he will stay there without bail while 70 felony counts loom. His first court date is set for Monday. The indictment, revealed last week, lists 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 charges involving a minor. If all are upheld, the potential sentence could reach 280 years behind bars. Prosecutors claim Essert engaged in inappropriate sexual acts with a student between 2005 and 2010 at several sites across Clermont and Hamilton counties. During that time he also taught the Young Marines and worked as a teacher at Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville. The formal indictment remains sealed, but it will soon be public once the legal process moves forward. Because of the charges, Essert is no longer receiving a salary and faces termination. Earlier this month, village officials placed him on paid administrative leave while the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation. That probe, which involved a complaint about him using his police vehicle to meet a woman he had pulled over for speeding, concluded no crime had occurred.A separate administrative inquiry by the village is still underway. Essert had also requested leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act starting May 17, overlapping with his accrued vacation time. The new charges are unrelated to the sheriff’s earlier findings and were uncovered after that investigation closed. Mayor JayDee Noble II expressed deep concern over the chief’s arrest and is moving forward with the legal steps required to remove him. In Ohio, a mayor must file formal charges with the village council when a police chief behaves unacceptably. The council will hold a hearing, after which it can vote to dismiss Essert. Essert’s career has been troubled. He joined Bethel in late 2021 after leaving Fayetteville on good terms. State records show he has served in several Ohio departments since 2003, including stints where he was dismissed for poor performance or misconduct. In 2020 he was convicted of disorderly conduct after an earlier domestic violence charge, and he has struggled to clear his record.