A Plainfield man was sentenced to 6½ years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two students during his time as a custodian and wrestling coach in New York.
Reid Kappler, 32, also was sentenced to 10 years of supervision upon his release, the district attorney’s office in Ulster County, N.Y., said in a news release. He was sentenced last Wednesday by County Court Judge Bryan Rounds in Ulster County Court.
Kappler assaulted two teenagers, between 15 and 16, attending Saugerties High School from 2023 and 2024, the district attorney’s office said at the time of Kappler’s guilty plea.
“I hope the current national dialogue and outrage about sexual crimes against children gets the message across that no community should let this happen; there is a long-lasting impact even after the children become adults. Daily life becomes a challenge and there’s no amount of therapy to reverse the harm or fix the fracture in the community,” the district attorney, Emmanuel C. Nneji, said in a statement.
The allegations against Kappler came to the attention of prosecutors while they were investigating a Saugerties police officer, Sydney Mills, according to reporting by the Times Union, a Hearst newspaper.
Kappler later was indicted on felony charges that included rape, sexual abuse and engaging in sexual conduct with a child.
The district attorney’s office said last week that the case against Mills, now a former Saugerties police officer, remains pending in court “for pretrial hearings and trial.”