The 57-year-old Kohls asked a question at his arraignment: "Will I get a copy of who the victims are when I get my attorney?"
He also said this in court: "I don't know if there was anything else. I'm sorry about all of this."
Some of his former Broughton students were taken aback when their teacher from auto body shop class was arrested Wednesday.
"Me and a bunch of my friends were extremely surprised," one student said, "Knowing that something happened, Oh my God. I don't know if I ever want to see him again."
Another student said, "They're (teachers) the people that's in the building around us almost every day, five days a week. So it's kind of shocking."
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office said the charges stemmed from allegations that happened in 2005.
Broughton Principal Janiece Ditts reemphasized that point on Thursday, saying, "The charged conduct is alleged to have occurred in 2005 and is not related to incidents that occurred on our campus or with our current students."
Two young adults who attended the hearing said Kohls was involved in the Boy Scouts.
ABC11 reached out to the local Boy Scouts for comment. Troop 236 in Raleigh told ABC11 that it had no comment or statement to make and referred future inquiries to a Scout executive.
Kohls, of Dunn, has been suspended from his job, but will receive pay while being held in jail without bond.