An investigation into a complaint filed with the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office about Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert found no crimes were committed, and the case is now closed, Sheriff Christopher Stratton said.
“At this point, there has been no evidence of a criminal case or criminal charges. We were looking to make sure there were no criminal acts. To this point, we have not uncovered any crimes,” Stratton said Friday morning.
Stratton didn’t discuss the nature of the complaint or confirm which specific crime they may have been investigating.
He said copies of the complaint will be released once his records staff makes the required redactions for public records, and the prosecutor’s office, which serves as legal counsel to the sheriff’s office, reviews it and approves it for release.
Essert and village officials and their attorneys have not as yet responded to questions. Essert declined to comment after he was on paid leave.
The attorney for the village of Bethel confirmed the chief was on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. She referred us to the sheriff’s office for further details.
Bethel Mayor Jay Noble notified Essert a week ago, on Friday, May 8, that he was suspended due to “a formal investigation into allegations involving your conduct related to the operations of the Bethel Police Department,” village records show.
Bethel Police Sgt. Don Fourth is currently in charge of the police department, according to Stratton.
Essert began working as Bethel’s police chief in the fall of 2021 after resigning in good standing as Fayetteville’s chief, according to his officer history page at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
State records show Essert has been a police officer in Ohio since February 2003 and has worked for several area police departments, including in North College Hill, Elmwood Place and Lincoln Heights. He has also served as a special deputy for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
Essert was convicted of disorderly conduct in Warren County Court in October 2020 after being originally charged with and pleading not guilty to domestic violence earlier that year, according to the court docket. He has unsuccessfully tried twice to get the misdemeanor expunged. The first attempt was rejected by a judge on Feb. 22, 2022: “The defendant is not sufficiently rehabilitated. Therefore, motion is denied,” the court docket states.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided this report
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sheriff says no crimes found in investigation of Bethel police chief
Reporting by Jennifer Edwards Baker, Fox19 / Cincinnati Enquirer
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