Pennsylvania man who fled to Mexico with teen in 2018 now charged with raping child

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- A Pennsylvania man who sparked an international manhunt by fleeing to Mexico with an underage girl in 2018 is now charged in a child rape case.

The victim accuses 52-year-old Kevin Esterly of repeatedly sexually assaulting her and giving her drugs.

The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said that Esterly, a resident of Whitehall, was taken into custody in West Virginia after two police pursuits on Wednesday morning.

He is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania where he faces felony charges of rape, two counts of statutory sexual assault and multiple other offenses.

According to the D.A.'s office, the victim - who is now an adult - called the Allentown Police Department in February of this year and said she was sexually assaulted as a juvenile.

She claims the assaults started when she was 12 years old and continued between 2015 and 2018.

According to the D.A.'s office, she told police she was first introduced to Esterly through their church when she was 8 years old. Esterly was the stepfather of the victim's juvenile friend.

The victim told police she began spending a lot of time with the friend, including spending weekends and summers at the Esterly home, according to the D.A.

The first assault happened in 2015 when she was 13 years old, she told investigators. That's when Esterly allegedly provided her with alcohol at a family birthday party and then sexually assaulted her.

After that incident, Esterly sexually assaulted her almost every time she slept over at his residence, she told police.

The victim went on to say Esterly later provided her with alcohol and drugs in exchange for sexual favors.

According to an affidavit, the victim said they would do drugs, mainly methamphetamine, together and then Esterly would sexually assault her.

The victim also told police she became addicted to meth.

Esterly served almost three years in prison for corruption of a minor for running off to Mexico with a 16-year-old girl in 2018.

That girl admitted to a judge that she went willingly, and denied any sexual relationship happened.

The D.A.'s office would not say if the victim related to the new charges was the same teen from the 2018 case.

Attorney John Waldron, who represents Esterly's ex-wife, says the family - including Esterly's children and stepchildren - are impacted again too.

"He gets arrested again and they are just beside themselves," Esterly said. "They thought it was over with the arrest in 2018."

Esterly went on to say the family members are "confused, depressed and anxious."