June 30, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monica Man Pleads Guilty To Sex-Related Counts Involving Two Former Students:

A Santa Monica man who was a former English teacher at the prestigious Marlborough School in Hancock Park pleaded guilty today to having sexual relationships with two students, one of whom got pregnant, and was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert C. Vanderet ordered Joseph Thomas Koetters, 48, to complete a 52-week sex offender therapy course and to register for life as a sex offender.

The judge also barred Koetters from having any contact with the two women, who are now in their 30s; teaching in any capacity; and being alone with any minor females other than his daughter.

Koetters was sentenced immediately after entering his plea to four felony counts — two counts each of oral copulation of a person under 18 and sexual penetration by a foreign object of a person under 18 — involving crimes between 2000 and 2004.

He had been facing 14 felony counts that could have resulted in more than 11 years in prison had he gone to trial and been convicted.

One of the women told the judge that Koetters — then her 11th-grade English teacher at Marlborough — “systematically lured me into a yearlong sexual relationship” in 2000.

“Over the course of several months, Mr. Koetters succeeded in convincing me that I was different, that our bond was special, that we owed it to ourselves as humans to ignore society’s norms and take things to the next level,” she said.

The victim, who was identified in court only as “Jane Doe 1,” said the relationship eventually “imploded,” and she found out she was pregnant in a dirty restroom at a fast-food restaurant.

“I next remember sitting at the base of the staircase in Mr. Koetters’ house, in shock and shaking violently. His reaction broke me. In his view, it was a foregone conclusion that I’d get an abortion,” she said. “I clung to him for whatever minimal assurance he provided, but was suffocating on the inside.”

She ultimately miscarried, “alone, terrified and in excruciating pain,” and the relationship ended, leaving her shattered and with an “intense hatred for myself that haunts me to this day.”

She said she had “never planned to come forward with my story,” but seeing an essay written about Koetters “triggered in me an unrelenting drive to protect other girls at all costs.”

She said the conclusion of the court case “isn’t an ending at all” for her.

“I would be remiss if I tried to frame the situation as anything other than what it is for me. It is raw. It is hideous. It is agonizing. And I will live with it for the rest of my life.”

The judge told her, “I’m so sorry for the hell you’ve gone through.”

Deputy District Attorney Mara McIlvain read a written statement from the other victim, who said she spent years of her life not talking about what had happened to her between February and June 2004.

“I told no one, not one person, for over a decade. It was just at the beginning of this year that I was able to gather the courage to share this for the first time,” she said. “A criminal case had finally been raised against Mr. Koetters and I struggled with what to do.

“I had always told myself that if it came to this I would not be silent. I wanted more than anything for him to be brought to justice so I forced myself to speak up, and I am so grateful that I did.”

“Jane Doe 2” said “years of hiding this secret wore me down and completely crushed my sense of self-worth.”

“Mr. Koetters invested a lot of time in convincing me that what he was doing was a mutual decision, and I internalized that,” she said. “For all those years I felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for what I believed I had done. I was completely filled with shame and feelings of worthlessness. I thought over and over, ‘What kind of girl would do something so selfish?’ I genuinely believed that I was a bad person.”

She said she now realizes her fear of being hated and shamed if she came forward was entirely unjustified.

“I now know with certainty that that relationship was never a mutual decision. It’s clear to me how I was manipulated … that I was a naive 16-year- old girl that was taken advantage of by an experienced predator.”

Outside court, defense attorney Leonard Levine said, “By his entry of guilty pleas to those charges, he has accepted full responsibility for his actions. But in light of the fact that there is pending civil litigation, that’s all I can say at this time.”

Attorney David Ring — who is representing the two women — told reporters: “We know that Marlborough School received multiple complaints about Mr. Koetters over the years and shrugged them off because he was their star professor, their star English teacher, and … nothing like that could ever happen at Marlborough.”

He alleged that Koetters negotiated an “exit strategy” with Marlborough that included “good recommendations” for him to move to Polytechnic School in Pasadena, where he taught for a year.

“He is nothing short of someone who used his position of power as a teacher at a very prestigious school to target underage girls for his own gain, and today you’ve heard the emotional harm that these two women experienced,” Ring said.

He noted that one lawsuit has been brought on behalf of one of the women and another will be filed within a few days.

Koetters is set to surrender Nov. 13 to begin serving his county jail term.

in News
<>Related Posts

Three-Bed Palisades Highlands Townhouse Hits Market for $1.7M

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

The Mediterranean-style property, located at 1529 Michael Lane, is part of a 71-unit community A remodeled 1,919-square-foot townhouse in the...

Six-Bed Mar Vista Hilltop Home Under Construction Lists for $5.3M

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

The private backyard is complete with a pool, spa, fire pit, built-in BBQ, and areas for outdoor dining A stunning...

(Video) Getty Villa Reopens Six Months After Dodging Destruction of Palisades Wildfires

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

With the reopening also comes a new exhibit, “The Kingdom of Pylos” Getty Villa Reopens Six Months After Dodging Destruction...

Free Virtual Planetarium Shows Coming to SMC in July

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

The virtual format is in place as construction of the new SMC Planetarium and Observatory nears completion The Santa Monica...

Santa Monica Adopts $793.3M Budget for FY25-27, Prioritizing Housing and Safety

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

The budget preserves core services and invests in major projects, including over $1 billion in hotel investments The Santa Monica...

Iranian Pastor in West L.A. Speaks as Church Rocked by Immigration Raids 

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Five Detained as Fear Spreads Through Persian Christian Faith Community  Fear has spread through a West Los Angeles congregation after...

California Doubles Down on Hollywood: $750M in Tax Credits Approved for Film and TV Industry

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

State Lawmakers Back Major Expansion of Production Incentives, Raising Job Projections Los Angeles’ film and television industry is poised to...

Park: “Our Water Infrastructure Must Be Emergency-Ready Every Day”

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

Councilwoman expressed cautious relief at the news but emphasized the need for robust infrastructure The Los Angeles Department of Water...

Washington Square Pizza Opens to the Public

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

New York Style Pizza “By-The-Slice” Now at the Beach By Nick Antonicello  Washington Square Pizza formally opened its doors today...

California Allocates $5B for Road Repairs, Transit Expansion

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

The funding aims to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion, and promote cleaner transportation California is investing nearly $5 billion...

THIS SUNDAY: Palisades Symphony Presents “Best of Broadway”

June 28, 2025

June 28, 2025

The performance will feature a full orchestra playing iconic selections, from John Philip Sousa’s *El Capitan* and George Gershwin’s *The...

LAPD Updates Immigration FAQ to Clarify Enforcement Role

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

The document, available in English and Spanish, outlines the department’s policies and limits regarding immigration status The Los Angeles Police...

Three Santa Monica College Student Films Selected for International Film Festival

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

The LA Shorts International Film Festival, the city’s longest-running shorts festival, screens over 350 films annually and draws 10,000 attendees...

EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles Returns with Star Chefs, Firefighter Tribute, and Wildfire Relief Efforts

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Culinary Festival Features Exclusive Restaurant Collabs, Support for Small Businesses  EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles, the celebrated food festival curated by The...

Suspect Charged by Los Angeles DA with Shooting of Santa Monica Cop and Teens

June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Faces Attempted Murder Charges and Over 100 Years to Life in Prison if Convicted. Criminal charges have been filed against...