BIG STONE GAP, Va. – 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 entice a minor, Virginia State Police said Tuesday.
Police said 46-year-old Travis L. of Appalachia, Virginia. Turner is wanted on warrants obtained Monday for five counts of each charge, he said, adding that additional charges are pending as the investigation continues. He did not share details about what led to the charges.
Turner has been missing since Thursday, when state police special agents from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation office were dispatched to his home, not to arrest him but to talk to him as part of the investigation. Police said that as soon as officers arrived there, they were informed that he was gone. Police said a subsequent search of the neighborhood involved drones, dogs and rescue teams.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday at a phone number associated with Turner. The court did not yet have a case docket that could empanel a lawyer for him.
Turner is the football coach at Union High School in Wise County, southwest Virginia. Union has won 12 in a row to remain undefeated this season and reach the regional finals this Saturday.
Asked about Turner, Division Superintendent Mike Goforth said in an email statement that Wise County Public Schools is “aware of the charges filed against a staff member who is on administrative leave” and that person is not allowed to be on school property or have contact with students. He did not disclose when or why the leave began, and said school officials would not comment further because it was a legal matter involving personnel.
