THE SIDELINES : Swim Coach Faces Sex Charges

A children’s swimming coach who met a 13-year-old girl on a so-called telephone “talk line” faces six felony charges of sexual misconduct with a minor, officials said.

Joseph Patrick Pennels, 27, a longtime coach of the Moreno Valley Marlins swim club, was charged last week with six felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, Riverside County Assistant Dist. Atty. Guy Pittman said.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of three, six or eight years in prison. Pennels has pleaded innocent.

The girl’s mother contacted police late in November after she discovered her daughter missing from home late one night and found a letter in the girl’s room that led her to believe she was having a physical relationship with Pennels.

The Moreno Valley Marlins is a private swim team for youngsters 5 to 18 years old. The team competes in the San Gorgonio swim league. Pennels resigned this month “for personal reasons,” team spokesman Chris Jones said.