West Palm Beach, Fla (CBS12) — Bethel, Ohio, Police Chief Chad Essert was arrested in Florida on Thursday after a Clermont County grand jury indicted him on 70 felony sex-related charges involving allegations from more than 15 years ago, authorities said.

Essert, 44, of Blanchester, was taken into custody without incident at 7:06 p.m. June 11 by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Investigations Section in Seminole, Florida, according to the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail, where he remained incarcerated while awaiting extradition back to Clermont County.

The indictment, also announced June 11, includes 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. All 70 charges are third-degree felonies.

If convicted on all counts, Essert could face a maximum sentence of 280 years in prison, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities said the alleged offenses occurred between 2005 and 2010, when Essert was an instructor with the Young Marines and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville. The victim was a student of Essert’s during that period, according to investigators.

The sheriff’s office said the alleged offenses occurred at multiple locations in Clermont and Hamilton counties.

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Officials said the indictment is separate from and unrelated to an earlier investigation involving Essert that had been reported by local media.

“It takes tremendous courage for a victim to come forward, especially when the accused wears a badge and holds a position of authority,” Clermont County Sheriff Chris Stratton said in a statement. “Today’s indictment demonstrates that no one is above the law. Every victim deserves to be heard, and every allegation will be thoroughly investigated and pursued in accordance with the law.”

Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said the case reflected cooperation between his office and the sheriff’s office.

“This investigation is a perfect example of how victims are protected and served regardless of the name or title of the perpetrator,” Tekulve said. “The Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office worked seamlessly in this effort.”

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of similar conduct to contact law enforcement. Officials said information from victims and witnesses may assist the ongoing investigation.

Questions about the indictment or investigation should be directed to the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office at 513-732-7313.

PAULDING, Onio (WANE) – From the coastline along Maine to the Washington State shore, Jesse Ward is riding his bike across America.

The 4,300-mile trip is along the northern part of the United States.

The trip started on May 6 in Bangor, Maine. He hopes to reach his final destination of Anacortes, Washington in early August.

WANE 15 ran into Ward in Paulding, Ohio last week. He was almost back to his hometown of Payne, Ohio to visit family along his quest.

Ward, who now lives in Ashville, North Carolina, got into cycling in college and decided to go for a coast-to-coast trip about five years ago.

“As I was looking at different routes, following the Northern Tier route, I noticed that it actually went through my hometown, so that was pretty appealing, and it’s going through a lot of states I’ve never been to or thought about, so I thought that would be a great way to discover and see the country,” Ward said.

A tradition of cross-country rides is to dip the bike tires in one ocean at the beginning of the journey and dip them in the other ocean at the end. From Bangor, Ward rode to Bar Harbor, Maine to see the ocean before heading west again.

“I’ve never been to the Pacific, so I’ll swim, and I know that they have quite a few ferries that go up to the islands there, so I want to go discover some of that stuff too, but probably take a day off,” he laughed.

His road bike is designed to absorb road vibration and carry heavy loads. It also has 27 gears to help with climbs.

Ward is staying at hotels, AirBnBs and camping along the way.

He pushes through the challenges,

“Rainy days with lots of climbing are the hardest,” he said. “Back in New Hampshire and Vermont, I had about two and a half days of rain, and I had the most climbing during that spell as well.”

And he soaks in the majestic moments along the way.

“Niagara Falls, definitely. I went over to the Canadian side and saw the falls from there, and it was first time I’ve ever done that, so that was a really rewarding experience, like just felt like, you know, the peak of the mountain. It’s like you’re here. This is a really good, finale for that section of the country,” he said.

As of June 12, Ward was about half way finished and in Iowa. When his trip is over, he plans to take a train from Seattle back to Charlotte.

“Then I’ll either bike back home or I have some friends with trucks. They can come pick me up,” Ward laughed.

• A warming atmosphere is increasing evaporation, leading to conditions that can produce more humidity and rainfall in Ohio.
• The collision of warm Gulf air and cooler northern air has created a persistent storm corridor over the Great Lakes region so far this spring.
• Changes in the jet stream and a faster-than-usual transition to El Niño conditions have contributed to the severe weather patterns.

The summer weather in Ohio could be hot with a mix of rainy and dry conditions, recent storms have hit the Buckeye State as summer looms. Those storms led to flood warnings in Franklin County after Memorial Day and flooding risk near Cincinnati in June.

Where exactly is all the moisture coming from? What is causing the cloud cover and rainy days? Here’s what we know.

Why is it raining so much in Ohio? The climate is ever-changing

The Earth keeps getting warmer – and it’s bringing precipitation to the Buckeye State.

As the atmosphere gets warmer, evaporation increases, which brings increased humidity, average rainfall,the frequency of heavy rainstorms as well as droughts, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency also states that the average annual precipitation in the Midwest has increased by 5% to 10% over the last half century, rainfall during the four wettest days of the year has increased by 35%, and water flowing in most streams during the worst flood of the year has increased by 20%, according to their data from 2016.

Spring brought repeated storm systems to Ohio, Great Lakes

As the region moved into spring, the Great Lakes have remained a focal point for severe weather stretching from Minnesota to Pennsylvania.

That’s because warm, moisture-rich air lifting north from the Gulf repeatedly collides with lingering cooler air across the northern part of the country, creating a persistent corridor for storm development, said AccuWeather Meteorologist Chad Merrill.