By Scott Halasz
XENIA — Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer whose six-month sentence for sexual assault sparked a national outcry, registered as a sex offender with the Greene County Sheriff Tuesday.
Turner, an Oakwood native whose parents moved to Sugarcreek Township after he graduated high school, showed up at 8:45 a.m., filled out the paperwork and officially became a Tier 3 offender. Because of that status — the highest possible — Turner must register wherever he lives every 90 for the rest of his life, according to Sheriff Gene Fischer.
“We will go down and confirm that he does live there as we do with all sex offenders, ask some more questions,” Fischer said. “We may drop in again before he has to register.” Fisher said that neighbors will receive alerts that a sex offender lives in their area. Turner is also listed on the sex offender online database.
Turner, 21, was convicted in March on three felony counts after sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015. He received a six-month sentence but was released from a California jail last Friday after serving just three months. California jail inmates with good behavior typically serve half their sentences, according to the Associated Press. The sentence and early release led protesters to congregate around his parents’ home, holding signs and in some cases, firearms.
So far the protesting has been peaceful, however the township fire department was called in to clean sidewalks that had messages written on them.
The case also prompted California lawmakers to pass legislation imposing mandatory prison sentences for those convicted in sexual assault cases — including instances in which the victims were unconscious or too intoxicated to consent.
The bill — A.B. 2888 — is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature after it was approved by both California’s Senate and State Assembly with overwhelming support. The bill, which the governor has until Sept. 30 to veto or sign, would require judges to choose an appropriate prison term rather than opt for probation or a stint in jail.
During his registration, Turner filled out a form that includes questions about previous offenses and even what kind of vehicle he drives. If any information changes — including if he purchases a different vehicle or moves — Turner must report that to the sheriff.
“We have have information for what kind of car, part of that has to do with, if somebody thinks a sex offender is stalking them or if there was a child abduction,” Fischer said. “We check the sex offender registries and compare. If we have good information, we can basically clear a lot of guys out.”
While registering, a process that took about 20 minutes, Turner received no special treatment.
“Right before he came in, we had another sex offender come in and do his updated registration,” Fischer said. “We didn’t do anything different with Mr. Turner than we did with any of the other guys.”
