Brock Turner will receive no special treatment when he returns to Ohio, but law enforcement in Greene County are monitoring social media for threats and protests, officials told this news organization.
“We’re not treating him with kid gloves,” Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer told WHIO and the Dayton Daily News. “We’re going to treat him like every other sex offender that comes through the doors.”
Fischer said Turner, the ex-Oakwood swimmer who was convicted in a sexual assault in California, will be required to register as a Tier III sex offender. The status requires Turner to fulfill certain requirements, including registration four times per year for the rest of his life.
Following his release from Santa Clara County Jail in California on Friday, Turner will have five days to report to Fischer’s office in Xenia. After that, the sheriff’s department will send postcards to Turner’s neighbors, alerting them to his nearby residence.
Turner's family moved to Sugarcreek Twp. from Oakwood around the time of the assault. The Turner family could not be reached by telephone this week.
“We will go down to his house where he is living to confirm he is living there.” Fischer said. “We will pop in unannounced from time to time to make sure he’s living where he says he’s living.”
He’ll also be required to meet with a state officer for his three-year probation.
Fischer said local law enforcement expect protests near the Turner residence in the coming days. Already this summer, armed protesters appeared in front of Turner’s house.
Jail officials in California tell this news organization Turner is expected to be released during daylight hours. Protests are expected outside the jail.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith is preparing for Turner's release as well, she told WHIO-TV affiliate KPIX-TV.
“I think that protesters are going to be angry, I think a lot of people are angry over this case,” Smith said. “It’s too light of a sentence for a rapist. But we’re just going to make sure that the public and everyone that’s there is safe on the morning that he’s released.”
Smith also sent a letter to California Gov. Jerry Brown urging him to sign an assembly bill backed by bay area lawmakers that was inspired by the case. It would send convicted sexual predators to state prison instead of county jail, KPIX-TV reports.
Michele Landis Dauber, a law professor at Stanford University, told the Dayton Daily News she's focused on unseating Judge Aaron Persky, who sentenced Turner to six months, of which he'll serve three. She said efforts of those concerned with the sentence should be focused on changing the system.
“We’re very focused on the judge,” she said. “I don’t support vigilantism or mobs.”
Dauber said she hopes Turner does not re-offend.
“My concern was that he really wasn’t held accountable,” she said. “The concern is always that, if an offender is not held accountable, that he might not get the message and he may re-offend.”
Fischer said he was concerned with preparing for the now-canceled presidential debate at Wright State University when Turner's sentencing first made national headlines.
“I don’t know enough about the case to judge it,” said Fischer. “Knowing a little bit about it, I wouldn’t want my kids around a sex offender at all.”
