Librarian charged with unlawfully entering homes said she was looking for books

A high school librarian in Grafton, North Dakota, has been charged with criminal trespass as part of an investigation into prescription drug thefts and unlawful entry into residences, according to a statement by Grafton Police on Wednesday. Kelly R. Kohler, 30, an employee of Grafton Public School, was charged with four counts of criminal trespass, a Class C felony. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. She appeared in District Court in Walsh County on Tuesday and was released on a $10,000 bond.

The conditions of her release included that she not leave North Dakota and could have no contact with the victims of the crimes. Kohler admitted to police that she'd been in two homes because she wanted to locate the book "American Sniper," according to the affidavit. She said the children who lived there had allegedly stolen the book, though police found no record of the children checking out the book. No school officials were available to comment. Kohler allegedly visited three homes without permission from homeowners, according to the affidavit.

 

Grafton resident Evelyn Allensworth told police that on Feb. 20 that Doris Dahlgren, her cleaning lady, had spotted someone inside her home, looking through the kitchen cupboards. The woman told Dahlgren she was "looking for a library book," and after Dahlgren pushed her for more information, she left. A woman who had "similar characteristics" to Kohler was spotted again four days later at Ed Boura's residence, where she had entered the home and left just as Boura was returning, he told police. Boura saw her black Chevrolet SUV, which had a licence plate beginning with "JON," parked in the driveway and said he believed it was a friend of his son's.

But once he entered the house, the vehicle left, and he noticed that his oxycodone and temazepam was missing, he told police. Resident Louis Johnson told police he'd seen Kohler in a house belonging to resident Jaci Niemann on two different occasions from Feb. 23 to 27. When Johnson confronted Kohler, she'd told him she was looking for "a book or video" and knew Niemann. Johnson said Kohler admitted she'd been in the house before and that she was a librarian, according to the affidavit. The charges resulted from a joint investigation by the police department and the Walsh County Sheriff's Office since early February. The investigation is ongoing.