Kevin Esterly Faces New Child Rape Charges

Kevin Esterly, a 52-year-old former Whitehall Township resident, has been arrested in West Virginia after two police chases and faces multiple felony charges including rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and endangering the welfare of children. The charges stem from allegations by a now-adult woman who claims Esterly sexually assaulted her repeatedly from age 12 or 13, often providing her with alcohol and drugs or exchanging nude photos for drugs. The assaults allegedly took place at Esterly's former home in Lowhill Township and an apartment in Allentown and included incidents where the victim woke up to being molested or raped. Authorities say Esterly introduced her to methamphetamine at age 13, leading to addiction. Esterly previously gained national attention for fleeing to Mexico with a 16-year-old girl in 2018, but it remains unclear if the current victim is the same individual, as that girl denied a sexual relationship with Esterly. Esterly is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania to face the new charges.