Cal Poly instructor accused of making plans to have sex with a child enters plea
A Cal Poly instructor accused of contacting and trying to meet with a minor to have sex pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday.
On Feb. 18, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 38-year-old Kevin Coulombe, who worked as an instructional support technician for the physics department at Cal Poly, as part of an ongoing investigation into the sexual exploitation of children.
He was previously employed as a teacher at San Luis Obispo High School before working at the university.
Coulombe was charged by the District Attorney’s Office with contacting and communicating with a minor — who was actually a detective pretending to be a 14-year-old girl — for sexual purposes on Jan. 27, a felony, according to the complaint.
He was also charged with a misdemeanor for arranging a meeting with the “minor” for the purpose of “exposing the genitals and pubic and rectal area” of the minor, the complaint said.
The complaint alleged Coulombe was “motivated by an unusual and abnormal sexual interest in children.”
The former educator pleaded not guilty to both counts at his arraignment on Wednesday.
At the arraignment, District Attorney’s Office prosecutors expressed a “public safety concern” with Coulombe being out on bail.
As a condition of his bail bond, Coulombe is prohibited from having contact with any minors unless an adult is present, Judge Catherine Swysen ruled. He is also subject to random searches of his car, home and electronic devices at anytime without a warrant, for evidence of contact with minors.
Coulombe will return to court on April 7 for a pre-preliminary hearing in Department 8.
Cal Poly employee accused of sex crimes formerly worked as high school teacher
Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier directed The Tribune to Transparent California, a website that catalogs the salaries of public employees, for Coulombe’s employment records.
According to the site, Coulombe started working as an instructional support technician at Cal Poly in 2017. He is also listed on the website as an unsalaried lecturer at the school in 2018 through 2020 and 2023, and unsalaried substitute instruction faculty in 2021 and 2022.
Coulombe was previously employed as a teacher at both San Luis Obispo High School and Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, before then.
Coulombe worked in the San Luis Coastal school district as a science teacher in 2015-16 and 2016-17, according to district superintendent Eric Prater.
After two years with the district, Coulombe was offered employment with Cal Poly and resigned from the district, Prater said via email.
“He was in good standing during his time of employment in San Luis Coastal,” Prater wrote.
He added that he wasn’t aware of any incidents involving Coulombe during his employment with the district.
Additionally, Coulombe substitute taught in the district for a total of four days during the 2018-19 school year, according to district assistant superintendent of human resources Greg Puccia.
Coulombe also worked as a science teacher at Menlo-Atherton High School from 2011 to 2015, Sequoia Union High School District spokesperson Naomi Hunter told The Tribune.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 1:39 PM.
