Apr. 18—A former Kettering City Schools music teacher pleaded guilty Friday to child pornography-related charges, just days ahead of his scheduled trial.
Matthew Ryan Koehler, 38, of Centerville, pleaded guilty to five counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor and one count of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance before Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Melnick on Friday.
He had been scheduled for trial Monday. He now faces six to 18 months in prison on each count when he is sentenced May 16.
Koehler worked primarily at Fairmont High School after he was hired by Kettering City Schools in 2012. He led or helped lead several extracurricular music and choir groups, according to district records.
On Nov. 19, 2023, a 19-year-old male reported to Kettering police that when he was in middle school, the defendant had acted inappropriately and had exchanged texts of a sexual nature, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. Koehler was placed on administrative leave by the school district the next day, Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart said previously.
Koehler was indicted June 12, 2024, and pleaded not guilty June 27, the same day he resigned from Kettering schools. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to four of the six felony charges as part of a plea agreement. However, he withdrew those pleas in October shortly before he was scheduled to be sentenced.
Defense attorney Dennis Lieberman previously told the Dayton Daily News that the charges against Koehler had nothing to do with his position at the school.
“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,” he said.
As part of his plea, Koehler will be designated a Tier II sex offender, unable to live within 1,000 feet of a school, preschool or day care center. He also must register his address every six months for 25 years.
Lieberman said Friday the number of counts is not significant.
“We could not reach an agreement with the prosecutor on this case so we pled as charged and will present our information to the court,” Lieberman said.