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11/25 15:20 CST Football coach who went missing before undefeated team's
playoff game is wanted on criminal charges
Football coach who went missing before undefeated team's playoff game is wanted
on criminal charges
BIG STONE GAP, Va. (AP) --- A Virginia high school football coach who
disappeared days before his undefeated team's playoff game is being sought on
charges of possessing child sexual abuse material and using a computer to
solicit a minor, Virginia State Police said Tuesday.
Police said Travis L. Turner, 46, of Appalachia, Virginia, is wanted on
warrants obtained Monday for five counts of each charge, adding that additional
charges are pending as an investigation continues. They did not share details
about what prompted the charges.
Turner has been missing since last Thursday, when state police special agents
from a Bureau of Criminal Investigation office were sent to his home, not to
arrest him but to talk to him as part of an investigation. As officers traveled
there they were notified that he was gone, police said. The subsequent search
nearby has included drones, dogs and rescue teams, police said.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday at a phone number associated with
Turner. The court did not yet have a case docket that would list any attorney
for him.
Turner is the football coach at Union High School in southwest Virginia's Wise
County. Union has strung together 12 straight wins to remain undefeated this
season and advance to a regional final this Saturday.
Asked about Turner, Division Superintendent Mike Goforth said in an emailed
statement that Wise County Public Schools is aware of charges filed "against a
staff member who has been on administrative leave" and that the person isn't
allowed to be on school property or have contact with students. He didn't
disclose when or why that leave began, and said school officials wouldn't
comment further because it's an ongoing legal matter involving personnel.
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