A Lehigh County man who made national headlines for fleeing the country with a СŷƵ teen in 2018 and is now facing charges of raping a girl was arrested Wednesday in West Virginia after two police pursuits, according to authorities.
Kevin Esterly, 52, was arrested Wednesday morning in West Virginia, according to a news release from Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan.
Esterly faces charges alleging he sexually assaulted a girl in his former home in Lowhill Township and at an apartment he rented in Allentown, starting when the girl was around 12. He is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania, Holihan said.
Court records in West Virginia state Esterly was arrested by authorities in Wetzel County, which is roughly 350 miles from Whitehall Township, where he lives.
Esterly faces charges of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with someone younger than 16, indecent assault of someone younger than 13, endangering child welfare and unlawful contact with minors.
Investigators wrote in court documents that the alleged assaults were reported to police in February.
The alleged victim, now an adult, spent time with Esterly and his family at their home. She sometimes stayed at the house overnight, according to authorities. When that happened, she would often wake up to Esterly molesting her while she slept, charging documents allege.
In one incident, when the girl was 13, Esterly gave her alcohol, according to authorities. She fell asleep and woke up to him raping her, police said. The girl said after that, he sexually assaulted her almost every time she stayed over, court documents state.
Esterly also introduced the girl to methamphetamine when she was 13, and she became addicted, investigators wrote in court documents. Those documents also state he bought her drugs in exchange for sex.
Esterly was having marital issues in 2017, and moved into an apartment in Allentown, according to authorities. Police said he continued to sexually assault the girl there. Investigators said Esterly kept in touch with the girl through phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages and Snapchat. She sent him nude photos through Snapchat to get drugs, police allege.
The alleged incidents took place between 2013 and 2017, documents state. СŷƵ does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Esterly made national headlines in 2018 when he fled to Mexico with a teenage girl, which prompted a two-week search. Esterly claimed he went there to protect her, and that their relationship was innocent. He pleaded guilty to corruption of minors and was sentenced to 2½ to five years in state prison. He was released in 2022.
He did not have an attorney listed for him Wednesday.
