Former Arkansas club and high school coach Stephen Duwel has been added to USA Swimming’s list of individuals permanently suspended or ineligible.
Duwel has been embroiled in a legal battle over accusations that he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy.
Duwel was arrested in July after he allegedly met a 14-year-old boy through an app and eventually met in person. You can read our full report on the arrest here, but Duwel said he thought the boy was 18 when they first connected, but also told police he did not break off the relationship once he found out that the boy was only in 8th grade.
The last we heard of the case, Duwel pleaded “not guilty” to seven felony charges back in August and was set to appear in court again in late September. There has been no further reports on Duwel’s legal status, but USA Swimming banned him under a code of conduct statute that refers to a conviction or plea of guilty to one of several specific charges. That suggests that Duwel has been convicted or perhaps accepted a plea bargain.
The full statute from USA Swimming’s Code of Conduct:
304.3.6 Conviction of, imposition of a deferred sentence for, or any plea of guilty or no contest at any time, past or present, or the existence of any pending charges, for (i) any felony, (ii) any offense involving use, possession, distribution or intent to distribute illegal drugs or substances, (iii) any crime involving sexual misconduct, or (iv) any criminal offense against a minor
Duwel now appears on USA Swimming’s banned list based on three violations of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct. The first (304.3.6) is spelled out above. He’s also banned under 304.3.8, which deals with sexual harassment or inappropriate sexual conduct, and 304.3.19, which covers conduct “detrimental to the image or reputation of USA Swimming.”