The former California judge who sentenced Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexual assault has been fired from his job as a girls’ junior varsity tennis coach at a Bay Area high school, Fremont Union High School District spokeswoman Rachel Zlotziver confirmed to CNN.
Aaron Persky had applied for the open coaching position over the summer and successfully completed all of the district’s hiring requirements, including a fingerprint background check, the school district said Tuesday in a statement.
“He was a qualified applicant for the position, having attended several tennis coaching clinics for youth and holds a high rating from the United States Tennis Association,” the statement said.
Just one day later, the school district announced that his employment as a tennis coach at Lynbrook High School has ended.
His connection to the Turner case was brought to the school district’s attention late last week, said the district, which referred to the former jurist as “Michael Persky.” His full name is Michael Aaron Persky, public records show.
Persky gained national attention in 2016 when he sentenced Turner, a Stanford University swimmer, to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious 23-year-old woman behind a dumpster.
Prosecutors had asked for a six-year prison sentence. But Persky sided with a recommendation from the county probation department, which said, “When compared to other crimes of similar nature” the Turner case “may be considered less serious due to (his) level of intoxication.”
The controversial sentencing led to Persky being recalled two years later. It was the first time since 1932 that a sitting judge was recalled by California voters.
After learning of Persky’s history, the school district held a meeting with parents of athletes on the varsity and junior varsity girls tennis teams “to provide parents with background on the situation,” the district said.
Ultimately, his firing was believed to be “in the best interest of our students and school community,” the school district said Wednesday in a new statement.
“Please know that we are deeply committed to maintaining an effective, safe, and positive environment for all students,” it said.
The district will immediately start looking for a new tennis coach, the statement added.
CNN’s Casey Hicks contributed to this report.