Suspended music teacher Koehler of Kettering, a resident of Centerville, was charged with child pornography

According to court records, Koehler was charged six months ago in Kettering Municipal Court with aiding and abetting minors in obscene depictions of obscenity and illegal use of minors in material containing nudity.

The increased number of charges in the grand jury indictment announced Wednesday “relates to the number of images revealed during the forensic examination of the defendant’s phone,” said prosecutor spokesman Greg Flannagan.

All of the charges are fourth-degree felonies, he added, adding that convictions on each of the charges carry a sentence of 6 to 18 months in prison.

“It is never acceptable for a teacher to send and receive inappropriate text messages with students, but this defendant also had child pornography on his phone,” Heck said in the announcement. “This type of behavior from teachers, coaches and anyone else we entrust with the care of our children is completely unacceptable.”

Koehler’s attorney, Dennis Lieberman, declined to comment Wednesday. Koehler has been suspended without pay from Kettering schools since December and the charges do not change that status, Kettering schools spokeswoman Kari Basson said.

According to school district records, Koehler has led or helped lead several extracurricular music and choral groups since being hired at Kettering in 2012.

The indictment came several months after Koehler waived his right to a speedy trial. A few weeks ago, Lieberman said negotiations with prosecutors were ongoing.

On November 19, 2023, a 19-year-old man reported to Kettering police that the defendant had been behaving inappropriately at the middle school and exchanging text messages of a sexual nature, according to prosecutors.

Kettering police obtained a search warrant for Koehler’s home and his electronic devices, officials said.

During a forensic search of the defendant’s iPhone, two videos were found showing underage boys naked. In one of the videos, an underage child is sexually abused, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Koehler was placed on leave from Kettering schools on Nov. 20 when the district learned of the former student’s allegations, said Kettering Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart. The suspension was without pay since Dec. 7 after criminal charges were filed against him, school district records show.

According to prosecutors, Koehler is currently under electronic house arrest after posting $50,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27.