Man found with teenage girl in Mexico held on $500,000 bail

ALLENTOWN (AP) — A man authorities said frequently checked a 16-year-old out of school without her parents’ knowledge and fled to Mexico with her is being held on $500,000 bail.

Court documents indicate that 45-year-old Kevin Esterly was arraigned early Sunday on a felony charge of interference with the custody of a child.

The Lehigh County district attorney’s office said Esterly arrived Saturday in Allentown, 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. He had been extradited from Miami.

Federal agents and Mexican authorities found the married father of four and Amy Yu in Playa del Carmen a week ago and flew them to Miami. They had been missing since March 5.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled April 2. The county public defender’s office, listed as representing Esterly, couldn’t be reached for comment.