Lynwood teacher pleads guilty in child pornography case

A first-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Lynwood pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of possession of child pornography.

Kenneth Edward Kothe, 61, of Alhambra entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper in downtown Los Angeles.

Kothe faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when sentenced July 14.

Kothe was charged after federal investigators served a search warrant on his home Nov. 28 and found his computer hard drive contained 113 images and 18 movies of child pornography, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert Dugdale. Investigators targeted Kothe after they found that he had subscribed to websites that allow users to download child pornography, Dugdale said.

The pornography included children as young as 7, but none of the images showed Kothe’s students, and investigators found no evidence that he had photographed, filmed or participated in any of the sex acts, Dugdale said.

After sentencing, Kothe will be required to register on national and state databases as a convicted sex offender. He has been on unpaid leave from his job since the investigation began, but once he is sentenced the district plans to fire him, said Bill Agopian, the district’s business manager.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com