Law enforcement is investigating the death of a Ripon High School history teacher and football coach considered a person of interest in an investigation into alleged possession of child pornography. Richard Kelm was found dead Thursday. Ripon Police searched Kelm’s October 21 after online storage Dropbox flagged images of child pornography and sent the information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Ripon Area School District confirmed the search in a letter to families Friday, Oct. 22 and said the district became aware of the investigation Thursday, Oct. 21 and had placed the employee on leave. Superintendent Mary Whitrick said “This is a significant loss to our Ripon school community,” and asked to “Keep Rick’s family in your thoughts and prayers.” She added that the district is making resources available to students, and advised families to contact their child’s school counselor or principal for more information about services. Last week a warrant was executed at Kelm’s home. No criminal charges were filed against Kelm. Kelm coached the Ripon High School football team from 1998 to 2010, leading the team to state titles in 2003 and 2005. He is the winningest coach in school history with a 102-44 record. He also has served as the golf coach since 2011, coaching the Tigers to a state tournament appearance in 2012.
