Former schoolteacher sentenced to 125 years for online molestations
Tip led investigators to defendant who posed on Internet as a 13-year-old girl
SAN DIEGO – A former elementary schoolteacher has been sentenced to 125 years in prison for molesting four boys, including a former student, following a lengthy joint probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the San Diego Internet Crimes against Children Taskforce (ICAC).
John Raymond Kinloch, 43, of San Ysidro, was sentenced July 24. In addition to the prison term, the state court judge also ordered Kinloch to pay restitution to the victims and register as a sex offender. Kinloch was convicted last month of 33 felony charges, including committing lewd acts on a child and possession of child pornography. He was taken into state custody for possession of child pornography in November 2012 after federal and local investigators executed a search warrant at his San Ysidro residence. At the time of his arrest, Kinloch was teaching first grade at Wolf Canyon Elementary school in Chula Vista. The case was prosecuted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Kinloch’s activities came to light after an employee of a website intercepted two sexually explicit webcam interactions with the defendant which appeared to involve an underage female. The employee notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which referred the lead to investigators.
According to court records, over a five-year period Kinloch targeted adolescent boys online. He also molested two children in San Diego, including one of his students. As part of the probe, investigators determined Kinloch had posed online as various girls, and as a boy, to induce adolescent boys to produce and send him child pornography, and to perform sexually explicit acts which he recorded for his own gratification.
“This case is a stellar example of how the public can assist HSI and our local law enforcement partners to combat the sexual exploitation of children and rescue the young victims,” said Mike Carney, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “Fortunately, this lengthy sentencing should ensure no more innocent children fall prey to this serial predator.”
“Sexual predators who target our children are some of the worst criminals on the street,” said San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “They steal innocence and rob families of their spirit. I’m proud of the hard work done by Deputy District Attorney Harrison Kennedy who prosecuted this case.”
This investigation was conducted as part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including Internet child pornographers. As part of Operation Predator, HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free tip line 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
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