RENO - A former Pop Warner football coach accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl was sentenced on a lesser charge after the girl disappeared from the area.
Conoly Franklin, 37, pleaded no contest in October to conspiracy to commit battery causing substantial bodily harm. He originally was charged with two counts of statutory rape.
He was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail and up to 36 months on probation.
Authorities said Franklin met the young girl through one of his players. Their relationship became known after she was confronted by her parents, Franklin's lawyer, Ken McKenna said.
McKenna said his client did not know the girl was missing until Thursday and had nothing to do with her disappearance. She has been missing since September.
But Deputy District Attorney Tammy Riggs said the girl's absence was the reason she was forced to enter into a plea bargain with Franklin.
"The victim disappeared from the Reno area just prior to this trial," Riggs told the judge. "It's understood that she headed to Oakland - his hometown."
Riggs said she believes the girl left with Franklin's help.
McKenna disputed the remark and said the defense agreed to the plea bargain to avoid a trial that could have been embarrassing to the girl.
District Judge Janet Berry denied McKenna's request for probation and said Franklin deserved to spend time in jail.
