Bloomington native Dustin Turner was arrested Tuesday on a parole violation and is being held at the Middle River Regional Jail in Staunton, Va. He had been released on parole in March after three decades in prison for a wrongful murder conviction.
Turner’s attorney Stephen Northup said that Turner’s parole officer is accusing Turner of not informing the women he has been intimate with of his conviction and that he is a registered sex offender prior to getting into a relationship with them. Northup said that is one of Turner’s parole conditions and that he has complied in two cases.
Turner was convicted of murder and abduction with intent to defile in 1996. Under Virginia law, the latter crime is classified as a violent sex offense, Northup said.
Turner and another Navy Seal candidate were involved in the murder of a young woman in 1995. At first, the other man accused Turner of committing the murder but he later changed his story and admitted that he had killed the woman.
Ultimately, the court said Turner would have to serve his full term on the original charges.
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On the first day Turner met with his parole officer, he provided the name and number of the first woman and told the parole officer he could call her, Northup said. The parole officer didn’t call the woman, and Turner did not inform the parole officer of the second woman.
“I don't understand how this has gotten this far, given the actual facts,” Northup said. “I mean, particularly since the guy had the number of the first woman and could have called her at any time to make sure she understood that Dusty is a registered sex offender, which is really what that's all about.”
Northup said the condition does not require Turner to inform his parole officer if he will be entering into a significant relationship with anyone.
A hearing Monday will take place at the probation and parole office in Staunton. Northup hopes the hearing officer will dismiss this charge.
“Dusty is dealing with this the way I've watched him deal with anything that has happened to him, at least since I've known him for five years,” he said. “He's very level-headed, he's very rational.”
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Since Turner’s release, he has been living with a Virginia couple, longtime supporters of Turner, and working on their farm.
Indiana has admitted Turner to its parole and probation system, but Virginia still has to act. Northup said he was told by the chief parole officer that they want to get Turner to Indiana as quickly as possible.