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A former Menlo-Atherton High School science teacher and current staff member at California Polytechnic State University was arrested for allegedly attempting to meet with a minor for sexual purposes, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
San Luis Obispo resident Kevin Coulombe, 38, was charged on Feb. 23 with a felony count of contacting a minor for a sexual offense and a misdemeanor count of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 4 in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
According to a press release from the SLO Sheriff’s Office, investigators obtained a search warrant for Coulombe’s residence, vehicle and workplace at Cal Poly as part of an ongoing investigation into the sexual exploitation of children.
Following the execution of the search warrant, the Sheriff’s Office said they found evidence that Coulombe attempted to arrange a meeting with a minor for sexual purposes. According to court records, the charges stem from an offense on Feb. 3.
The Sheriff’s Office added that this investigation stemmed from their effort to “proactively target those who victimize the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Coulombe worked as a science teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School from 2011 to 2015, according to Sequoia Union High School District spokesperson Naomi Hunter.
According to Mustang News, the Cal Poly student newspaper, Coulombe had taught Introductory Physics and Introduction to the Physics Major. An article quoted physics students who said they were shocked at his arrest.
“It’s a pretty disgusting thing to do, and especially the fact that he had a history as a high school professor is pretty scary,” freshman Van Til said, according to the Mustang News story.
The Sheriff’s Office posted Coulombe’s mugshot on its social media.
“I called my mom like, ‘Mom, this is like the first guy I met at Cal Poly. I’ve known him for three years,’” a student named Sophia told Mustang News, which withheld her last name. “He’s literally one of the last people you’d think to be like that.”
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with additional information to contact the detective division at 805-781-4500.
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