Former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was released from jail early Friday after serving half of his six-month sentence on a sexual assault conviction.
Turner walked out the front door of the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose, Calif., at 6:07 a.m. local time, according to the San Francisco Chronicle .
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Turner, 21, was convicted in March of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in January 2015 outside a Stanford fraternity house. Prosecutors sought a six-year term in state prison.
Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in county jail. The sentence was reduced to three months because of good behavior.
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The initial term spurred outrage nationwide and prompted the California legislature to draft a bill that imposes harsher sentences in similar cases. A loophole in existing state law allows less severe sentences for those convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious or intoxicated person than those who assault someone who is conscious.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith expressed frustration with the sentencing in a brief statement following Turner's release.
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"Anybody charged with and convicted of rape ought to do time in state prison," she said, according to The Mercury News of San Jose.
RECAP:
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) September 2, 2016
Brock Turner faced up to 14 years
Prosecutors asked for 6 years
Judge sentenced him to 6 months
He served 3 pic.twitter.com/PVAwPOjrrI
The Santa Clara County Superior Court announced last week that Persky has been transferred from criminal to civil trials.
Turner moved silently past dozens of media members and protestors, carrying a jacket and paper bag under his arm, before departing in a waiting SUV.
Turner is expected to return to his Ohio hometown, where he must register as a sex offender. He also will be on probation for the next three years.
