Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Charismatic Ex-Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Another Student
Earlier this year, a charismatic ex-teacher at a prestigious all-girls private school in Hancock Park was charged with having a sexual relationship with a student back in 2000. Today, he faces even more charges as a second student has accused him of sexually abusing her in 2004.
During a court hearing today, 47-year-old Joseph Koetters was charged with five counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object and five counts of oral copulation with a former student, the L.A. Times reports. The student was 16 years old at the time when they allegedly had a sexual relationship, which spanned from February to June 2004. Koetters pleaded not guilty.
Ex-teacher Joseph Thomas Koetters who was charged with sexual assault is charged with furt... https://t.co/9CSNTiTiLk pic.twitter.com/OBcDdX9IqE
— [ Crime News ] (@goinsidecrime) May 4, 2015
In February, Koetters was accused of having a year-long relationship in 2000 with a different 16-year-old student while he teaching at Marlborough School. At that time, he was charged with two counts of oral copulation with a person under 18 and sexual penetration with a foreign object. Her attorney, David M. Ring, said Koetters made her feel like the "special star student." Koetters would later impregnate the teen, but she ended up having a miscarriage, Ring told the Times. The woman came forward with her story after reading an XO Jane essay penned by writer Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie. While Gilbert-Lurie didn't use Koetters' name in the article, his identity was later revealed. She accused Koetters of flirting with her, putting his hand on her knee and calling her a temptress when she was a junior at the school during the 2011 to 2012 school year.
Support for LAist comes from
Koetters taught at Marlborough School for 14 years before moving on to Polytechnic School in Pasadena in 2013. He later resigned from his position at Polytechnic in July 2014 after the sexual allegations came to light, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
He's expected to appear in court again on June 23, CBS Los Angeles reports. When Koetters was first arrested and charged, he was released from prison after paying a bail of $140,000. However, after this new set of charges, the judge has increased Koetters' bail to $490,000. Koetters' lawyer says his client is expecting to post bail. If he's convicted, he'll face the maximum sentence of more than 11 years in jail.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist