CT Man, Ex-NY School Coach Gets Prison In Student Rape Case

A Connecticut man who formerly worked as a Hudson Valley school custodian and wrestling coach has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison for having sexual contact with underage teen students.

Reid Kappler, 32, of Plainfield, Connecticut, will be on supervised release for 10 years after his incarceration.

Judge Bryan Rounds imposed the sentence Wednesday during a proceeding in Ulster County Court in New York.

In January, Kappler pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree rape.

The Ulster County District Attorney's Office said the offenses happened between 2023 and 2024, when Kappler was a custodian and wrestling coach in the Saugerties Central School District.

Prosecutors said Kappler engaged in “sexual intercourse with two under-age students of Saugerties High School.”

The youths were between 15 and 16 years old at the time, prosecutors said.

Kappler was arrested at his home in Connecticut in July 2025.

Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said, “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,” Nneji added. “Sometimes these crimes are secrets kept in plain sight, only noticeable to those who dare care to remain vigilant and to say something. We must do better.”

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