Former Northwest Arkansas swim coach pleads guilty to sex crimes

Stephen James Duwel
Stephen James Duwel

BENTONVILLE — A former Northwest Arkansas swim coach was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes.

Stephen James Duwel, 51, of Rogers pleaded guilty Thursday 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 explicit conduct involving a child and sexual assault in the fourth degree.

Duwel was sentenced to 35 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He will have to abide by a suspended sentence for 10 years after his release from prison.

Duwel was arrested July 20.

He was head coach for Northwest Arkansas Aquatics swim team and also a volunteer swim coach at Bentonville High School. He was terminated from both positions after his arrest.

His July arrest happened after a relative of the boy reported to Rogers police the teen was involved in a sexual relationship with an older man, according to a probable cause affidavit. The teen told police he met Duwel through a smartphone application, according to the affidavit.

The teen said he had to enter his age as 18 to use the application, according to the affidavit. The teen said he initiated contact with Duwel, according to the 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.

The judge accepted the plea agreement and Duwel’s guilty pleas.

Duwel did not make any statements in court except for saying he was guilty in response to questions from the judge.

Duwel will be required to register as a sex offender and he must also complete the prison’s sex offender treatment program or a similar program after his release from prison.

The judge ordered Duwel not to have any contact with his victim. Duwel was also ordered not to have any contact with any minors.

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