He was a revered small-town football scion twice named \u201cCoach of the Year\u201d and expected to shepherd his undefeated varsity squad through a crucial playoff game Saturday.<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s a fugitive at the center of a frantic manhunt, wanted on child porn and solicitation of a minor <\/a>charges.<\/p>\n The stunning case has upended the quintessentially all-American life of Travis Turner after he bolted from his home in rural Appalachia, Va., last week as cops closed in to discuss the disturbing allegations against him.<\/p>\n Travis Turner, 46, has been a revered high school coach in his Virginia town, where football is a pillar of the community. Facebook\/Leslie Turner<\/p>\n The 46-year-old dad of three has spent more than a decade coaching at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, a rural, \u201cFriday Night Lights\u201d-esque community where the gridiron\u2019s so hot, it\u2019s sent several players on to the NFL.<\/p>\n Turner joined the team in 2011 and has led his players to numerous victories and championships since, earning himself a reputation as a coolheaded leader adept at inspiring the best from his players along the way.<\/p>\n He was named \u201cCoach of the Year\u201d by the Herald Courier<\/a> in 2021, with a glowing profile describing him as an emotionless and \u201cunflappable\u201d leader with \u201claser-like focus\u201d in \u201ca community where football is king.\u201d<\/p>\n The coach has also spent his life at the center of the community\u2019s rich football scene. His own father, Tom, was a local football star in his day who went on to become an award-winning coach in the same community his son would later lead.<\/p>\n Turner even starred on his father\u2019s team, playing as quarterback from 1994 and going on to play for three universities across the south, according to the Courier.<\/p>\n \u201cCoaching \u2013 and winning \u2013 is in Travis Turner\u2019s blood,\u201d the Courier wrote, noting that he was even named \u201cCoach of the Year\u201d in 2006 as a softball coach.<\/p>\n Turner and his wife have been married for nearly 25 years. She denied the allegations against him. Facebook\/Leslie Turner<\/p>\n But it all came crashing down Thursday night \u2014 when cops arrived at Turner\u2019s home near the end of a cul-de-sac in the tiny town of about 1,200 to discuss serious criminal allegations against him. They insisted they were not there to arrest him.<\/p>\n Turner, they were told en route, was nowhere to be found. He has not been heard from since, prompting investigators to launch a multi-agency manhunt, involving drones, state police aviation, K-9s and bloodhounds.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Virginia State Police revealed they issued a warrant for the married dad\u2019s arrest on five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. Cops said additional charges are pending and that Turner is now \u201cconsidered a fugitive.\u201d<\/p>\n Union High, meanwhile, which has about 600 students enrolled, has been mum, only to say vaguely that an employee within the district had been placed on administrative leave.<\/p>\n \u201cA staff member has been placed on administrative leave with pay while an external agency reviews an allegation that was reported to the division,\u201d the district said in a statement without elaborating further.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is standard procedure and not a determination of wrongdoing. This situation also involves an active law-enforcement matter, and the division cannot comment further.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither they nor cops would identify the person, including whether it was Turner or if the two cases were connected.<\/p>\n Turner and his wife Leslie have three kids, and photos from social media paint the picture of a perfect American family. Facebook\/Leslie Turner<\/p>\n Turner\u2019s wife of 25 years, Leslie \u2014 whose Facebook page is filled with photos of her hubby and son on the gridiron \u2014 denied the allegations of sexual misconduct<\/a>, telling the Daily Mail<\/a> \u201cnone of that is true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a good dad and a good husband and we want him home. That\u2019s it,\u201d added Leslie, who donned a \u201cCoach\u2019s wife\u201d tank top alongside her hubby in one Facebook pic. \u201cWe are all just hanging in there until we get news.\u201d<\/p>\n On Friday, she posted and then deleted a message that said: \u201cI just wanted to get on here for a second to clear up something, as of right now, 10:25 PM on Friday night, Travis is missing, & that\u2019s all we know.\u201d<\/p>\n The Union Bears, which went 12-0 this season, are set to compete in the region final Saturday \u2014 with the winner moving on to the state semifinals on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n Five days before he vanished, Turner seemed upbeat \u2014 with hardly a clue that he may have been battling dark demons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a battle here \u2026 and our kids be ready,\u201d Turner said told the Union Sports Network on Nov. 15.<\/p>\n Social media, meanwhile, has been abuzz with the stunning news.<\/p>\n Turner, seen here with his wife Leslie, hasn\u2019t been seen since Thursday, and is now wanted on child porn charges, police said. Facebook\/Leslie Turner<\/p>\n \u201cOur community is hurting right now. Many of us grew up with Travis Turner as a coach, a mentor, or a familiar face at school events,\u201d one former Union High student wrote. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat has recently happened is devastating and has broke the trust we had in someone who held a position of responsibility and influence,\u201d the former student added.<\/p>\n Some said that \u201ca lot of people knew\u201d about the allegations for years \u2014 and also that there were also \u201crumors\u201d of \u201cothers\u201d involved, various comments across local social media show.<\/p>\n