Missing high school football coach Travis Turner faces a significant prison sentence if he is found alive and convicted of the charges against him. A multi-agency search is actively underway for the 46-year-old.
Turner was accused of five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. These charges were filed shortly after he fled his Virginia home on November 20.
The solicitation charge alone carries a "more serious penalty" of between five and 30 years in prison. Prosecutor Bobby Taghavi provided this information to the Daily Mail on December 3.
If convicted, Turner would be legally required to register as a sex offender. This designation would prevent him from working again as a football coach or physical education teacher.
Turner has been a coach at Union High School since 2011.
"Someone like Travis Turner [if guilty] finds himself in a situation where his life, as he knows it, is, to all intents and purposes, over," said Taghavi. The prosecutor is not involved in Turner’s specific case. "He will no longer be a coach, he will no longer be a teacher, he will probably have a lot of problems within his family and within the community, especially when you live in a small community with someone as recognized as he is."
Turner disappeared into a wooded area behind his Wise, Virginia home with a weapon. A family attorney issued a statement regarding his disappearance on November 28.
Wise, Virginia, is a small town with a population under 3,000, according to the 2020 census.
Turner’s family has expressed support during his disappearance. His wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, stated to the Daily Mail on November 25 that the charges against him are not "true."
Taghavi noted that family members would not face responsibility "as long as they didn’t know and as long as they were not complicit." He added there is no evidence to suggest Leslie, married to Travis since 2001, was involved or aware of the alleged actions.
"They are also victims," Taghavi said of the family. "It is very embarrassing for them, there is a social stigma of: ‘How could you not know? Were you involved?’"
Travis and Leslie have three children: Bailey, 25, Grayden, 21, and Brynlee, 11.
The U.S. Marshals Service joined the search for Turner on December 1. On the same day, they offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police told Us Weekly on Wednesday that "the search remains active and ongoing with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI." They further stated, "We continue to ask for the public’s cooperation in providing any information that may lead to knowledge of Turner’s whereabouts."
The VSP confirmed they are "following up on all leads received." They urged anyone with information to call 911, the Virginia State Police, or visit usmarshals.gov/tips.
"On behalf of Travis Turner’s family, I wish to express their sincere gratitude to all who have shown concern during this difficult time," family attorney Adrian Collins said in his Friday statement.
The statement concluded: "The family prays that Travis is safe and has the opportunity to defend himself in a court of justice."