Brock Turner’s dad started fund to help with legal fees

The father of the ex-Oakwood swimmer convicted of a sexual assault in California established a legal support fund with a local credit union, this news organization has learned.

A jury convicted Brock Turner of three felony charges stemming from a sexual assault that occurred after a Stanford University fraternity party in January 2015. Turner last week was sentenced to six months in county jail in Palo Alto, Calif., for sexually assaulting an unconscious, intoxicated woman.

In early May, a woman who described herself as “a lifelong friend, mother and person who has watched this family grow” started a Facebook page titled “Turner Family Support Fund” on behalf of Turner’s parents, Dan and Carleen.

The page, now defunct, provided the about 40 members who liked the page with directions on how to donate to a Wright-Patt Credit Union account to “help ease the financial burden that this situation has caused.”

“(Turner’s parents) are dealing with a monumental life-changing and tragic situation with Brock, and their expenses continue to mount. As a mother and friend, I would do anything to help my child and save him,” the supporter wrote. “I know that while we are not experiencing what they are feeling, my heart and faith continue to want to help and be supportive.”

A customer service representative for Wright-Patt Credit Union confirmed Dan Turner created the account for the family and said the credit union account is still active.

Dan Turner was the subject of intense criticism on social media after he characterized his son's incarceration as "a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action," and suggested the former swimming star was no longer eating his preferred "big ribeye steak."

The supporter behind the Facebook page did not immediately return a request for comment.