Top prosecutor’s grim theory about missing football coach Travis Turner
A top prosecutor has issued a grim theory on the fate of the high school football coach who vanished after being accused of crimes against children.
Travis Turner, 46, disappeared from his home in rural Appalachia, Virginia, on November 20 when agents were on their way to arrest him.
He is accused of soliciting a minor and possessing child pornography but has been missing for two weeks after heading into the mountains with a gun.
He has not been convicted of any crime, but has been scrubbed off the Union High School’s website.
The California prosecutor Bobby Taghavi, who is not involved in the case, believes Turner will take ‘drastic measures’ to avoid being found.
He claimed the football coach will most likely die by suicide, if the extreme conditions of the wilderness and its wildlife does not kill him first.
Taghavi, who has prosecuted similar sex crime cases in his 19-year career, told the Daily Mail: ‘Someone like Travis Turner [if he is guilty] is sitting in a position where his life as he knows it is, for all intents and purposes, over.
‘He’ll no longer be a coach, he’ll no longer be a teacher, he’s probably going to have a lot of issues within his family and within the community, especially when you’re living in a small community with someone who’s high profile like him.’
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Travis Turner, 46, vanished into the woods with a gun near his home in Appalachia, Virginia, on November 20. Authorities were on their way to arrest him for allegedly being involved in child sex crimes
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California prosecutor Bobby Taghavi told the Daily Mail that Turner (pictured with his family) likely understands the severity of his alleged crimes and might not make it out of hiding alive
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According to attorney Taghavi (pictured), the solicitation of a minor charge carries a ‘more serious sentence’
He said that if Turner is guilty, ‘he’s probably not going to be able to live there anymore.
‘He probably can’t flee Virginia, because he’ll be on probation or on parole, so he’s cornered in a way where it makes sense that he’s taking some drastic measures, unfortunately.’
Turner, who was also a physical education teacher, is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Active warrants were issued for his arrest after his quick getaway, with the US Marshals Service involved in the manhunt.
Football coach being hunted by police seen in final video
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Taghavi, a managing partner at Sweet James Accident Attorneys, broke down his thoughts on the charges.
He said the solicitation of a minor charge carries a ‘more serious sentence’ of between five and 30 years in prison.
He continued that Turner would also have to register as a sex offender if he was convicted, meaning he could never coach or be around children again.
If Turner is found or turns himself in, Taghavi said he won’t face more trouble for running, but the act ‘doesn’t look good.’
Turner’s wife, Leslie, 46, recently wiped her social media following the drama.
Taghavi said ‘a lot of times in these types of cases’ the family would not be held responsible ‘as long as they didn’t know and as long as they weren’t complicit.’
He added ‘there’s no evidence that the wife was [involved or knowledgeable] in this case.’
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Turner’s wife Leslie (left), 46, recently wiping all her social media clean following the accusations and her husband’s disappearance
Leslie, 46, a paralegal, exclusively told the Daily Mail the charges against her husband are untrue.
She said she had no knowledge of her husband’s alleged inappropriate contact with minors.
‘I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I’m sorry,’ she said.
When asked about the child porn charges for which police are seeking Turner, Leslie rose to her husband’s defense.
She said: ‘None of that is true. He’s a good dad and a good husband and we want him home. That’s it.’
On Monday it was reported Leslie, who has been married to Turner for 25 years, cleared her Facebook after initially using it to share updates on her missing husband.
‘They’re also victims,’ Taghavi said about the families of the accused. ‘It’s very embarrassing to them, there’s a social stigma of, ‘How could you not know? Were you in on it?”
He said throughout his career, he’s seen ‘family members, spouses, significant others, parents, siblings, go as far as changing their names, deleting social media, kind of going into a hole and hiding because of the shame and the amount of online hate.’
The manhunt for Turner continues and has intensified as US Marshals are now offering up to $5,000 for any information leading to his capture.
Marshals clarified that while they are helping with the search, they are not involved in the investigation. The Virginia State Police and FBI are also involved in the search.
The Daily Mail has reached out to US Marshals Services, the Virginia State Police and the FBI, but did not hear back.
