LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A former teacher at an all-girls private school in Hancock Park pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to felony sex charges stemming from an alleged relationship with a 16-year-old student more than a decade ago.
Joseph Koetters, a 47-year-old Santa Monica resident, was an English teacher at the Marlborough School, which serves students grade 7 through 12. He resigned in 2013.
He was charged on Feb. 3 with two felony counts each of oral copulation of a person under 18 and sexual penetration by a foreign object.
The criminal complaint alleges that the crimes occurred between June 2000 and June 2002.
Prosecutors claim Koetters initiated a relationship with the teenager in 2000, and that it continued for two years. The woman notified police last July after learning of other alleged victims on a blog post.
David Ring, an attorney representing the victim, claims his client became pregnant by the teacher.
"He pressured her to get an abortion, and a couple months went by, and she actually miscarried the baby, and that really, really rocked her world and devastated her," Ring said.
The judge allowed Koetters to remain free on $140,000 bail. He has been ordered to stay away from his accuser.
Koetters is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 26. If convicted, he could face up to five years in state prison.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Former Marlborough School teacher pleads not guilty to sex charges
