Missing high school football coach wanted on criminal charges
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – A Virginia high school football coach who disappeared days before his undefeated team’s playoff game is wanted on charges of possessing child pornography and using a computer to solicit a minor, Virginia State Police said Tuesday.
Police said Travis L. Turner, 46, of Appalachia, Virginia, was wanted on warrants obtained Monday on five counts of each charge, adding that additional charges were pending as the investigation continued. They did not share details about what prompted the charges.
Turner has been missing since Thursday, when State Police special agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation were sent to his home to speak with him as part of an investigation. As officers were on their way to the scene, they were informed of his absence, police said. Subsequent searches nearby involved drones, dogs and rescue teams.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment Tuesday at a phone number associated with Turner. The court did not yet have a file indicating which lawyer could represent him.
Turner is the football coach at Union High School in Wise County in southwest Virginia. Union strung together 12 straight wins to remain undefeated this season and advance to a regional final this Saturday.
Before coaching Union, Turner was a quarterback at Appalachia High School, which merged with Union High School in 2011. His father, Tom Turner, was also his high school football coach. Tom Turner was inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in 2005.
Defensive coordinator Jason Edwards stepped in as interim head coach during the Union’s win over Graham last weekend, according to the Bristol Herald Courier, which also reported that Bears players did not want to talk afterward about the situation involving Turner.
Asked about Turner, Division Superintendent Mike Goforth told the AP in an emailed statement that Wise County Public Schools was aware of the charges “against a staff member who was on administrative leave” and that that person was not authorized to be on school property or have contact with students. He did not reveal when or why this leave began, and he said school officials would not comment further because it is an ongoing legal matter involving staff.
