Former wrestling coach sentenced for having sex with students

SAUGERTIES―A former high school wrestling coach has been sentenced to six and half years in state prison for having sex with two underage students.

Reid Kappler, 32, who worked for the Saugerties Central School District, appeared Wednesday in Ulster County Court in front of Judge Bryan Rounds.

In January, he pled guilty to three counts of third-degree rape in connection to sexual offenses committed between 2023 and 2024 during his employment as a school custodian and wrestling coach.

Kappler admitted to having sexual contact multiple times with two female students, aged 15 and 16.

Kappler’s prison time will be followed by 10 years of post-release supervision.

“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,” said Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji.

According to Saugerties Central School District Board of Education meeting minutes, Kappler resigned as a full-time custodial worker effective May 3, 2024. It is not publicly known when the district became aware of the allegations against him.

He was arrested by the United States Marshals Task Force, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and investigators from the Ulster County Family and Children Advocacy Center on July 14, 2025, while living in Connecticut.

Kappler had been initially by indicted by a grand jury on 18 counts of third-degree rape, but agreed to a plea deal instead of going to trial.

Kappler was implicated during the same investigation that led to the July indictment of now-former part-time Saugerties Police Officer Sydney Mills, 53, for sex offenses against a minor. That case is still pending and Mills is being held in the Greene County Jail.

“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,” said Nneji.

“Daily life becomes a challenge and there’s no amount of therapy to reverse the harm or fix the fracture in the community,” he added.

In the weeks following Kappler’s arrest, the district launched an independent investigation into what school officials called its own “handling and subsequent response to the initial complaint.”

In September, Superintendent Daniel Erceg, Ed.D. was placed on paid administrative leave.

“This decision was made to support the board’s commitment to ensuring a fair, transparent and impartial internal investigation related to the district’s handling of and response to a serious complaint involving a former employee,” Board of Education President Jeffrey Riozzi said at the time.

Erceg ultimately resigned on December 9.