The mayor of Bethel has signaled his intent to begin proceedings to remove the village’s police chief, accused of child sex crimes, from office.
The decision to initiate the removal process against Chad Essert comes amid a 70-count indictment in Clermont County Common Pleas Court and an ongoing internal investigation, Mayor Jay Noble II said in a news release June 15.
“This has been a very difficult time for our village,” Noble said. “It has caused a great deal of distress for our village employees, especially the other members of our police department.”
A grand jury on June 11 indicted Essert on dozens of counts, including sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The victim was a student of Essert’s when he taught at the Young Marines and Scarlet Oaks Career Campus in Sharonville between 2005 and 2010, prosecutors said.
A month earlier, Essert was accused of sexually harassing a subordinate who was struggling with her mental health in a police report for an unrelated criminal investigation. He was placed on leave as Bethel conducts its own administrative investigation.
Mayor says police chief should no longer lead department
Essert was arrested in Seminole, Florida, last week and is expected to be extradited to Ohio to stand trial. He was still listed as an inmate at the Pinellas County Jail on June 15.
“The charges, in addition to the ongoing administrative investigation into Chief Essert’s behavior … make it clear to me that Chief Essert should no longer lead the Bethel Police Department,” Noble said.
State law requires village mayors to file written charges against a police chief with council, he added, if it’s believed the chief engaged in unacceptable behavior. Those charges must be served on the chief and heard at the next regular village council meeting before council members can vote on removal.
Noble said he intends to file such charges and hold a hearing as soon as legally possible.
“While I understand the desire for swift action,” Noble added, “we must strictly adhere to all applicable laws and ensure that the proper process is followed.”
Earlier investigation details sexual harassment allegations
In an earlier investigation by the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, which didn’t result in charges, officials spoke with a former employee who said Essert told her she “couldn’t kill herself until he slept with her” after she told him how she’d been struggling with her mental health.
After meeting at an Italian restaurant to discuss her mental health progress, Essert suggested the two return to his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office documents. She said he put his hand on her thigh and asked what color underwear she was wearing.
“Hе asked her how it was making her feel,” the documents stated. “The source said she told him that it was making her feel like she was going to have a heart attack.”
While the sheriff’s office found Essert didn’t commit crimes related to accusations of Essert bringing his work vehicle to Dayton for an affair, documents show, it left open the possibility for a future criminal investigation into the sexual harassment.
Who is Chad Essert?
Essert became Bethel’s police chief in September 2021, according to his personnel file. He completed a law enforcement leadership program from Northwestern University in 2024.
Before Bethel, he led a staff of five as the village of Fayetteville’s police chief for seven years, according to a copy of his resume. He has worked as a police officer since 2003.
Essert went on paid administrative leave May 8, records show. He took medical leave May 17 and is being paid with accrued time off, Noble previously told The Enquirer.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bethel mayor seeks to begin process for removing indicted police chief
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley and Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Quinlan Bentley and Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
