The crimes are all fourth-degree felonies, according to the court documents. Convictions on each count would be punishable by six to 18 months in prison.
The remaining two charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance were dismissed, the plea agreement states.
“This had nothing to do with his position at the school,” Koehler’s attorney, Dennis Lieberman, told the Dayton Daily News. “The photographs in question or the videos in question were on his own personal phone and on his computer at his house. It did not involve anybody at the school.”
Koehler will be labeled a Tier II sex offender, unable to live within 1,000 feet of a school, preschool or child daycare, according to court records. He will be subject to address verification every 180 days for 25 years, documents show.
Koehler could also face up to a $5,000 fine, court costs, “restitution or other financial sanctions,” the plea agreement states.
He is eligible for community control sanctions for up to five years, “which may include community residential sanctions … and non-residential sanctions,” according to the plea agreement.
Judge Kimberly Melnick set Koehler’s sentencing for Oct. 3, court records show.
Koehler was indicted on all six counts June 12. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on June 27, the same day he resigned from Kettering schools, where he had been placed on unpaid administrative leave since Dec. 7 after he was criminally charged, according to school district and court records.
Koehler was initially placed on administrative leave by Kettering schools Nov. 20, when the district became aware of allegations made by a former student, Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart has said.
Koehler led or helped lead several extracurricular music and choir groups since being hired by Kettering in 2012, working primarily at Fairmont High School, according to school district records.
On Nov. 19, 2023, a 19-year-old male reported to Kettering police that when he was in middle school years earlier, the defendant had acted inappropriately and had exchanged texts of a sexual nature, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Kettering police obtained a search warrant for Koehler’s home and electronic devices, officials said.
A forensic search of the defendant’s iPhone revealed two videos depicting minor boys in states of nudity. One of the videos depicted a minor child being sexually assaulted, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Koehler has been free on a $50,000 bond, which he paid several months ago. Koehler was on electronic and GPS monitoring, and prohibited from any contact with juveniles, court officials said. The indictment came several months after Koehler waived his right to a speedy trial.
