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CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – A Greater Cincinnati police chief waived extradition Tuesday from Florida and will return soon to face a 70-count indictment alleging sex crimes with a minor.
It remains unclear exactly when Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert, 44, of Blanchester, will be arraigned in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.
As of Tuesday night, he remains on suicide watch at the Pinellas County Jail near Tampa.
The police chief has been locked up since shortly after a grand jury returned a secret indictment against him last week.
The indictment charges Essert with 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor more than 15 years ago.
If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 280 years in prison.
Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert waives extradition after Florida arrest on 70-count sex crime indictment
Should return to Clermont County soon – this time as an inmate.
This is what he was wearing when he was taken into custody, according to sheriff’s records @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/MxvOwVED8z
— Jennifer Edwards Baker (@jbakerohio) June 16, 2026
In light of such a major indictment, Essert is no longer being paid and is about to be fired.
Village officials put him on paid administrative leave last month amid an investigation by the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office into an allegation of misconduct.
The sheriff’s office determined no crime occurred and closed the investigation.
A separate village administrative investigation remains ongoing.
Essert then requested leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It started on May 17, running concurrently with his accrued paid time off, according to Bethel’s attorney.
The charges he was indicted for are from separate allegations that are independent of and came out after the sheriff’s office closed its investigation, according to the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office.
As soon as county officials learned of them, they immediately launched another investigation and Essert was swiftly indicted.
Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on the evening of Thursday, June 11, 2026.(Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)‘Great deal of distress’
Prosecutors allege he had inappropriate contact with a student at locations across Clermont and Hamilton counties between 2005 and 2010.
At the time, he was an instructor for the Young Marines and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville.
Bethel Mayor JayDee Noble II announced Monday he was “deeply disturbed” about the police chief’s arrest and planned to begin the legal process to remove him.
If an Ohio mayor believes a police chief engaged in unacceptable behavior, the mayor is required by law to file written charges with the village council.
Village council is required to hold a hearing at a regular meeting after the charges are served on the chief.
Council members would then vote at the end of the hearing whether to fire Essert.
“This has been a very difficult time for our village,” Noble wrote in a statement to FOX19 NOW after we requested comment last week.
“It has caused a great deal of distress for our village employees, especially the other members of our police department.”
“While I understand the desire for swift action, we must strictly adhere to all applicable laws and ensure that the proper process is followed,” he wrote.
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Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert at the scene of a SWAT situation in February 2026.(FOX19 NOW)Troubled job history
Essert began working as Bethel’s police chief in fall 2021 after resigning in good standing as Fayetteville’s chief, according to his officer history page with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
State records show Essert has been a police officer in Ohio since February 2003 and has worked for multiple police departments, including in North College Hill, Elmwood Place and Lincoln Heights.
He also served as a special deputy for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office but was fired in September 2015 for failing to meet agency standards, FOX19 NOW confirmed.
He was fired from the North College Hill Police Department in September 2004 for “unsatisfactory performance” during his probationary period, according to local and state records.
In Elmwood Place, he resigned in July 2010 to avoid termination after being accused of sexual harassment and intimidating a witness, FOX19 NOW confirmed.
He was convicted of disorderly conduct in Warren County in October 2020 after originally being charged with domestic violence and pleading not guilty, court records show.
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