Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan, Pennsylvania State Police-Troop M Commander Seth Kelly and Allentown Police Department Chief Charles Roca announced March 5 a guilty verdict in a child rape case.

Kevin Esterly, 53, 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 March 3. 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 December of 2001.

During interviews with police, the victim reported 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 2-1/2 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 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 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 PSP Trooper Taylor Dietrich and Allentown police Detective Suzanne Toth and was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer, Deputy District Attorney Joseph S. Holaska and paralegal Rachel Bard.