A police chief in Clermont County — most recently charged with child sex abuse — has a record of misconduct across prior jobs, including being fired for lying and a being accused of groping a coworker.
Chad Essert, 44, was indicted June 11 on 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
About 10 years before he ran the Bethel Police Department, Essert briefly worked as a police officer at the Elmwood Place Police Department. He was accused of sexual harassment at both jobs.
Essert also lied about his military status at a different police job and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct six years ago, according to a review of court and disciplinary records obtained by The Enquirer.
Essert was released from a Florida jail early on June 18, records show. He was extradited and is scheduled to be arraigned June 22.
Here is everything we know about Essert’s history.
Touching Bethel officer’s thigh, according to investigation
Essert was accused of sexually harassing a subordinate at the Bethel Police Department who was struggling with her mental health. Police spoke with the former employee who said Essert told her she “couldn’t kill herself until he slept with her,” according to an April 2026 criminal investigation.
Essert was also accused of putting his hand on her thigh and asked what color underwear she was wearing as they sat in his cruiser, records show.
Bethel began the process of firing Essert in the wake of his June 11 indictment.
He began as Bethel’s police chief in September 2021, records show. He was still the chief as of a June 15 statement.
Badmouthed coworker who rejected advances, report alleges
Essert repeatedly asked a village of Elmwood Place police officer for sex in 2010, records show.
As she continued to reject his advances, she said Essert began attacking her job performance and talking poorly about her to other officers.
Security cameras captured Essert miming pulling his coworker’s hair the night she accused him of groping her, records state. The report is unclear whether cameras recorded Essert grabbing her.
She told another coworker about the harassment and mentioned she was scared to report it, records state. That coworker went to administration, and the police chief requested she file an official report.
“I want to be able to feel comfortable at work and not have to not give Chad Essert excuses as to why I’m not going to sleep with him,” she wrote. “I believe Chad Essert has no respect for me as a female police officer.”
When Essert was suspended in March 2010, he agreed to enroll in a sexual harassment awareness class and write and apology letter to his coworker. Two months later, he said he registered for the class but had not written the letter.
Essert was told he would be fired, records show. However, the mayor granted Essert’s wish to resign instead of being fired. He worked at the department for less than one year.
Fired for lying about military status, per report
Between March 2003 and November 2004, Essert worked patrol and drug investigations for the North College Hill Police Department, according to a personnel file.
Investigatory records also show Essert was fired from that job for lying, according to a conversation a supervisor had with North College Hill’s chief.
Essert said he had not been dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps, which North College Hill said was false.
Additionally, North College Hill’s chief also said Essert lied about the legal justification for a particular drug investigation. Essert’s probable cause explanation changed when the case was presented in court, records state.
Guilty plea in domestic violence incident
Essert was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence in April 2020, according to Warren County court records.
He was accused of striking someone with his truck during an argument. The victim was was trying to speak at Essert’s driver’s side door when he turned his wheel into her path.
The victim’s arms and right leg were scraped, records show. The victim’s identity is redacted, but court records list her as a family or household member to Essert.
Essert ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct in October 2020.
Both of Essert’s attempts to have the case remove from his record have been unsuccessful. The last attempt occurred April 2022.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New records detail history of Bethel chief’s misconduct across jobs
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
