Virginia police looking for the missing coach of an undefeated high school football team obtained an arrest warrant in connection with a child pornography and computer solicitation investigation Tuesday, officials said.
Travis Turner, 46, “is wanted on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor,” Virginia State Police spokesperson Robin Lawson said in a statement.
“The investigation remains ongoing,” Lawson said. “Additional charges are pending.”
Police are using dogs and drones in their search for Turner, who is “now considered a fugitive,” Lawson said.
Turner, head coach of the Union High School Bears from Big Stone Gap, went missing Thursday as his team was preparing for a playoff game, officials said.
Without Turner on the sidelines, Union defeated the Graham High School G-Men this weekend to advance in the Class 2 playoffs.
Union will play Ridgeview in the region final Saturday, with the winner going to the state semifinals Dec. 6.
Assistant coach Jay Edwards has been appointed interim coach.
Police declined to say Tuesday whether any victims or complaining witnesses are connected to the school.
Mike Goforth, division superintendent for Wise County Public Schools, said in a statement: “Wise County Public Schools is aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave.”
“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” Goforth said. “The division will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward. Because this is an active legal matter involving personnel, the division cannot comment further.”
The mystery surrounding Turner’s disappearance deepened when state police disclosed Monday that agents were seeking to interview him as “part of the investigation,” state police spokesperson Matthew Demlien said then.
Demlien stressed that last week’s attempted police visit was not aimed at arresting Turner at that time.
A representative for Turner’s family pleaded with the public Tuesday to withhold any judgment.
“We remain prayerful for his safe return and for everyone affected by the circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” family attorney Adrian Collins said in a statement.
“Any allegations should be addressed through the proper legal process — not through speculation or rumor. We ask the public and media to show compassion, accuracy, and respect for the family’s privacy.”
Union High School, with nearly 660 students, is in the far southwest corner of Virginia, about 170 miles west of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and about 140 miles northeast of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
The charges against Turner rocked the tightly knit town of Big Stone Gap, with a population of little more than 5,000 residents.
Turner was a known and respected figure in the Appalachian “coal mining community,” Town Manager Stephen Lawson said.
“We’re all family, and the community’s just been going through heartache,” Lawson said Tuesday afternoon. “This situation has been really tough because it involves all of our kids, all of our community kids.”
Commonwealth Attorney Brett Hall said he’s aware of the police investigation of Turner but is ethically barred from commenting on the ongoing investigation.
Gary Grumbach contributed.
