On Friday morning in Santa Clara County, California, former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner walked out of jail after serving only half of his six-month sentence. The 21-year-old, who was sentenced to jail time for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on campus, left the facility shortly after 6 a.m. local time.
Turner walked silently from the jail into a waiting car, completely bypassing the crowd of reporters surrounding the entrance. Check out the video above to see footage of Turner’s exit from jail.
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While in jail, Turner received hundreds of pieces of hate mail, James Jensen of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office reported to ABC News. Now that he is back out on the streets, Turner plans to return home to Greene County, Ohio.
Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer stated that Turner must report to the sheriff’s department within five days of his return in order to have his photograph taken, and to be registered as a sex offender. Fischer also added that the nearby homeowners in the area will receive postcards by mail informing them that a sex offender resides in the area.
The assault that put Turner behind bars took place January 2015. He was stopped by two men on bicycles when they saw Turner assaulting a woman who was not moving, according to the authorities. Turner, who was 19 at the time, attempted to flee but the two witnesses tackled him and restrained him until the police arrived to the scene, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office reported.
In March, Turner was found guilty of three felony charges including assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person, and penetration of an unconscious person.
On June 2, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail and three years of probation. The decision was met with heavy backlash as the sentencing seemed extremely light considering Turner was facing up to 14 years in prison. The prosecutors were looking for a six-year sentence, but ultimately Judge Persky decided upon a six-month stint in jail with probation.
How do you feel about Brock Turner being released from jail only three months into his six-months sentence?
[H/T Yahoo]
