PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Clermont County grand jury has indicted Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert on 70 felony charges, including sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Prosecutors say the charges stem from offenses that occurred between 2005 and 2010 when Essert was an instructor with the Young Marines and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville, Ohio. The victim was a student of Essert’s at the time, and authorities say the alleged acts happened in multiple locations in Clermont and Hamilton counties.
The indictment includes 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, all third-degree felonies. If convicted on all counts, Essert could face up to 280 years in prison.
44-year-old Essert was arrested without incident in Seminole, Florida, by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and remains in custody awaiting extradition to Clermont County. Authorities are asking anyone who may have been a victim to contact law enforcement.
HOA said yes, but the CDD says no: Sun City Center homeowners ordered to remove backyard fences
For years, homeowners in one Hillsborough County neighborhood had fences around their backyards — fences that were approved by their homeowners' association. But now, another organization with government powers says some of those fences are blocking drainage easements and have to go, at the owners' expense.
