BENTONVILLE -- A former Northwest Arkansas swim coach was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sex-related crimes involving minors.
Stephen James Duwel, 50, of Rogers pleaded guilty Wednesday to Internet stalking of a child, engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print medium, five counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicitly conduct involving a child and fourth-degree sexual assault. Duwel's plea was reached in agreement between Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor, and attorney Shane Wilkinson.
Duwel was arrested July 20.
He was head coach of the Northwest Arkansas Aquatics swim team. He also was a volunteer swim coach at Bentonville High School. He was fired from both positions after his arrest.
His arrest happened after the relative of a boy told Rogers police the teen was involved in a sexual relationship with an older male, according to a probable cause affidavit. The teen told police he met Duwel through a cell phone application. The teen said he had to enter his age as 18 to use the app. The teen also said he initiated contact with Duwel, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Duwel and the boy exchanged phone numbers two or three months after they began to talk through the app, according to the affidavit. They met at a Springdale roller rink, according to court documents. Duwel and the teen went to see a movie together, and the teen visited Duwel 's home, according to the affidavit.
Duwel told police about an encounter where he gave the boy a massage at Duwel's home, the affidavit states.
Police found text messages between Duwel and the teen, according to court documents. The teen told Duwel in one text message he was in the eighth grade and would be 15 on his birthday. Duwel replied they could only be friends and "making out" would be about as far as they could go, the affidavit states.
Duwel told police he thought the teen was 18 when he first contacted him, but he didn't stop texting him when he learned his true age, according to the affidavit.
Cearley told Circuit Judge Brad Karren that Duwel had sexual contact with the 14-year-old boy and police recovered five digital images of nude minors.
Karren accepted the plea agreement and Duwel's guilty pleas.
Duwel did not make any statements in court except to answer he was guilty in response to questions from Karren.
Duwel was sentenced to 35 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He must abide by a suspended sentence agreement for 10 years after his release from prison. Duwel will be required to register as a sex offender.
Duwel was handcuffed and taken to the Benton County Jail where he will await a transfer to state prison.
Duwel also has a criminal case in Tulsa, Okla., where he is charged with lewd molestation and soliciting child pornography. The charges stem from accusations he sent an explicit video of himself to a boy in April 2015 and he engaged in sexual activities with the teenager at a Tulsa hotel the next month, according to the Tulsa World.
The Oklahoma case hasn't been resolved. Duwel's plea agreement in the Benton County case allows for his sentence to run concurrently with any he could receive in Oklahoma, but that decision will rest with Oklahoma authorities.
NW News on 04/29/2016