A North Carolina teacher has been arrested after he allegedly sexually abused children more than two decades ago beginning in 2005.
Steven Robert Kohls has been charged with eight counts of sexual activity by a custodian, three counts of sex offense in a parental role and two counts of statutory sex offense of a child by an adult, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Us Weekly.
The alleged abuse was first reported to authorities on May 2. However, investigators learned that the alleged abuse began as far back as 2005.
After an investigation was launched into the claims, Kohls, 57, was arrested on Wednesday, May 13, and is currently being held at Wake County Detention Center after he was denied bond. It is not currently clear if he has retained legal counsel or entered a plea following his arrest.
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He worked as a Career and Technical Education teacher at Broughton Magnet High School in Raleigh at the time of his arrest.
Following Kohls’ arrest, the school’s principal sent a letter to parents to notify them about the situation.
“To keep you informed, I want to share information about an incident involving a staff member that you may see on the news,” the letter read, per ABC 11. “We have learned that Career and Technical Education teacher Steven Kohls has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of statutory sex offense of a child by an adult, sexual activity by a custodian and sex offense – parental role. The charged conduct is alleged to have occurred in 2005 and is not related to incidents that occurred on our campus or with our current students.”
The letter continued, “I want to assure you that we take the safety of our students and staff members very seriously.”
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“While privacy laws prevent me from providing much additional information about the situation, I can share that Mr. Kohls is suspended with pay,” the school’s letter concluded before encouraging those with questions or concerns to call the school.
It is not currently clear how many alleged victims Kohls had, how he knew the children, the ages of his victims or how long the abuse went on for. The investigation into the allegations remains ongoing as authorities work to learn more about the situation.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office told Us that they have no further information to share due to the nature of the crimes as of the time of publication.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
