Brock Turner's hometown in Ohio reacts to sexual assault sentence

Amy Hollyfield Image
ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Brock Turner's hometown in Ohio reacts to sentence
While the nation grapples with whether Brock Turner's sentence was strong enough, one small town in Ohio is left wondering what happened to one of their own. The quaint streets of Oakwood don't see nearly a quaint anymore.

STANFORD, Calif. (KGO) -- Brock Turner came to Stanford from a small city in Ohio. ABC7 News went there on Thursday. Fewer than 10,000 people call Oakwood home. It's just outside Dayton.

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While the nation continues to debate the light sentence, the small Ohio community that raised Turner doesn't want to talk about him. ABC7 News also tracked down his father, who also doesn't want to talk.

Dan Turner was on his cellphone when he answered the door on Thursday. The man who has been criticized for saying his son shouldn't go to jail for six months for "20 minutes of action" told us he wasn't interested when he realized who we were and shut the door.

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Neighbors say the Turners haven't lived on the street for long, with one neighbor saying his heart goes out to Brock Turner's victim.

"What the father said, I think it's inexcusable," said one neighbor.

Turner received a six-month sentence for a sexual assault of a woman on the Stanford campus. The light sentence has sparked national outrage and horrified some in the small community of Oakwood where Turner grew up.

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"As a resident of Oakwood, I'm kind of ashamed," said one resident. "This represents Oakwood, nationally. And it's embarrassing."

Before he left for Stanford, Turner was a three-time All American high school swimmer at Oakwood High School.

School is out for the summer, but the school district offices are still open. The superintendent told us he did not want to talk about Turner on camera, but would let the written statement stand, stating "Our district is shocked and saddened by the behavior of Brock Turner." And does not share the view of a school guidance counselor, who wrote a letter on behalf of Turner to the court.

That guidance counselor has since apologized, saying she "made a mistake," adding, "Of course he should be held accountable. I pray for the victim, her family, and all those affected by this horrible event."

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Anyone associated with Turner is now facing a backlash. Local drummer Leslie Rasmussen is a former classmate of Turner. She testified as a character witness and now her band's gigs are being cancelled at music festivals across the country.

As the nation continues to talk about whether the sentence was too light, the small community of Oakwood is still dealing with what happened to one of its own.

Click here for full coverage on the Brock Turner case.