Former Coach, Lifeguard, Pleads Guilty To Molesting Teens

The water polo and swim coach and former lifeguard accused of sexually assaulting three pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to six months in jail, officials said.

Joshua Christopher Owens, 24, of La Palma, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of oral copulation of a victim younger than 16 and sexual penetration of a victim younger than 16, as well as six misdemeanor counts of child annoyance, the District Attorney's Office has said.

He was given until Oct. 12 to begin his jail sentence.

Owens was a part-time water polo and swim coach at Kennedy High School in La Palma and also worked as a lifeguard in Long Beach, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Owens met the three girls, between 14 and 16 years old, through his coaching job. The sexual assaults happened at locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties, prosecutors said.

Owens sexually assaulted one girl between September 2014 and April 2015. Another girl was fondled and he touched himself in front of her between January and June 2016, according to prosecutors.

He kissed a third girl multiple times on various occasions between March and June of last year, prosecutors said.

Owens' attorney, Jonathan Lynn, said his client "felt that resolving this case with a plea was in the best interests of all parties involved in this matter. My client wanted to take responsibility for his conduct and give closure to the victims and their families."

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.

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