Federal authorities joined the search fora fugitive high school football coachbeing sought in connection with a child sex abuse image and solicitation probe in Virginia — and warn he may be armed.
The U.S. Marshals Service on Mondayasked anyone with informationabout Travis Turner, 46, to call it or Virginia State Police.
"VSP is still searching for Turner with the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service," state police spokesperson Robin Lawson said in statement Monday.
Turner, coach of the undefeated Union High School Bears in Big Stone Gap,vanished Nov. 20in what was initiallycast as a simple missing persons case.
But then state police announced last week they had obtained arrest warrants for Turner on suspicion of five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
Since his disappearance, Union has won two playoff games, most recently a 21-14 triumph overRidgeviewon Saturday tocapture the Region 2D championship.
Union is set to playGlenvar High Schoolon Saturday in the Class 2 state semifinals.
Police and school officials have declined to say whether any victims or complaining witnesses against Turner are connected to Union High, a public school with about 600 students in the far southwest corner of Virginia.
The high school is about170 miles west of Virginia Tech Universityin Blacksburg and about120 miles northeast of the University of Tennessee.
