Top law enforcement officer in the Clermont County Police Department now facing dozens of felony charges. >> That's right. Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert remains behind bars in Florida after a grand jury indicted him on 70 counts related to alleged sex crimes. WLWT News 5's Aaron Thomas has been following this developing story all day and joins us live from Bethel with the latest. Hi Aaron. >> Hey there Ashley and Chris. So Chief Essert was indicted yesterday. Today I spoke with a legal expert about what happens next in this case as well as a victim's advocate about what it takes for victims to come forward. >> The legal process is in its beginning stages for Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert. He's behind bars in Pinellas County, Florida awaiting extradition back to Ohio where he faces 70 charges. >> He has the right if he wants to to go to court in Florida and try to resist extradition. I don't know if he'll do that or not. It's extremely rare for those kind of motions to be successful. >> NKU law professor Kenneth Katkin explains how statute of limitations could affect the charges pursued. The sealed indictment lists 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. >> If a person is a public servant at the time they commit the offense and the offense involves misconduct in office, then the statute of limitations extends till 2 years after they leave office no matter how long ago the the misconduct was. >> A joint statement from Clermont County Sheriff and Prosecutor's offices alleges the offenses happened between 2005 and 2010. During that time Essert taught at Scarlet Oaks and served as an instructor at Young Marines. >> It doesn't surprise me at all that these allegations are coming out later. >> Adrian Simeone advocates for victims of abuse. She says coming forward can be difficult when the alleged abuser holds a position of authority. >> They might have fear of retribution for calling it out because a lot of times there isn't necessarily a lot of hard physical evidence to prove what's happening. >> Now, I've spent much of the day reaching out to every single council member as well as the mayor and the Clermont County Sheriff's Office to get their response and at this time we're still waiting to hear back. Now, Chief Hester was previously placed on leave last month following a separate investigation that wrapped up but as it relates to this case he could face up to 280 years in prison if found guilty of these charges. Live in the Village of Bethel, Aaron Thomas, WLWT News 5. >> All right.