March 5, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Kevin Esterly, 53, of Whitehall Township has been convicted in Lehigh County Court of all charges in a child-rape case.
That’s from a statement from Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan, Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Commander Seth Kelly and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca.
Those charges include rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and endangering the welfare of children, according to their statement.
“In 2018, Esterly was convicted of corruption of minors as a misdemeanor of the first degree and
sentenced to 2 ½ to 5 years in prison for a case involving the same victim. In that case, Esterly and the
victim were returned from Mexico following his flight from the Lehigh Valley,” according to the statement.
Later the victim disclosed other offenses that started when she was 14.
“The victim said that Esterly sexually assaulted her almost every time she slept over at his home. These
disclosures were not included in the 2018 prosecution. The victim also said Esterly provided her with alcohol and drugs in the course of the sexual assault,” according to the law-enforcement statement.
Esterly was the stepfather of a friend of the victim, the statement said.
Esterly was apprehended in West Virginia in 2025. He was convicted of the later charges after a jury trial and faces sentencing June 30. The potential sentence is 43.5 years to 87 years in state prison.
Here’s the statement from District Attorney Holihan, Troop M Commander Kelly and Chief Roca:
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
LEHIGH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Gavin P. Holihan
District Attorney
March 5, 2026
455 WEST HAMILTON STREET
District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan, Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Commander Seth Kelly and
Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca announce a guilty verdict in a child rape case.
Kevin Esterly, DOB 12/29/1972, of Whitehall Township, was convicted of all charges including Rape,
Statutory Sexual Assault, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse and Endangering the Welfare of
Children – Parent/Guardian/Another Commits Offense.
The jury trial began with jury selection on March 3, 2026. Esterly is scheduled for sentencing June 30
before Judge James Anthony. He faces a possible sentence of 43.5 years to 87 years in state prison. He
will be required to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life.
On Feb. 21, 2025, a report was filed with Allentown Police regarding a juvenile sex assault that occurred
over an extended period of time beginning in the summer of 2016 and ending in March 2018. The name
of the victim will not be released, but her partial date of birth is 12/2001.
During interviews with police, the victim reported that she was first introduced to Esterly when she was 8
years old. Esterly was the stepfather of the victim’s juvenile friend.
The victim told investigators she began spending a lot of time with the friend, including spending
weekends and summers at the Esterly home. The friend’s family later moved to a home in Lowhill
Township, Lehigh County.
In 2018, Esterly was convicted of corruption of minors as a misdemeanor of the first degree and
sentenced to 2 ½ to 5 years in prison for a case involving the same victim. In that case, Esterly and the
victim were returned from Mexico following his flight from the Lehigh Valley.
The victim disclosed last year that the abuse inflicted by Esterly was more significant than she initially
disclosed. Esterly provided her with alcohol at a family birthday party and raped her when she was 14
years old.
The victim said that Esterly sexually assaulted her almost every time she slept over at his home. These
disclosures were not included in the 2018 prosecution.
The victim also said Esterly provided her with alcohol and drugs in the course of the sexual assault.
Esterly was taken into custody June 11, 2025 in West Virginia after two police pursuits.
This case was investigated by Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Taylor Dietrich, Allentown Police
Department Detective Suzanne Toth and was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A.
Moyer, Deputy District Attorney Joseph S. Holaska and Paralegal Rachel Bard.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 