Former Ohio State Highway Patrol officer, Christopher Ward, was sentenced today for sexual assault. Former Trooper Ward was once nominated for Criminal Patrol of the Year. He was found guilty of sexual battery and sexual imposition back in December of 2019. Ward turned down a plea deal that offered eight years in prison and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.
The Charges
Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost said the crimes happened over the course of 10 years. Ward victimized women both at off-duty and during the course of his duties as a trooper. The known victims are five adults and one minor. At the time charges were filed last year, Yost called it Ward’s actions, ” A behavior of repeated, predatory sexual assault.”
The Crimes
Back in February, Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation asked that anyone who had been assaulted by the trooper please come forward.
“We have reason to believe there may be other victims who have not yet come forward,” Attorney General Yost said at the time. “We are prepared to use all available resources and are calling on the public to assist us in conducting a thorough investigation.”
Trooper Ward was indicted last year for contact with an adult victim through force or threat of force. That incident happened in January of 2015. Just a year later, Ward was among the nominees listed in the State Patrol eMagazine for Criminal Patrol of the Year.
In 2018, he allegedly had off-duty contact with a minor on St. Patrick’s day 2018, using the threat of force. The girl was sleeping over at his house, sharing a bed with his daughter. Ward claimed he was just trying to pick up his cat.
The Trial
At his trial, a woman he pulled over for OVI in 2015 described how he groped her during the traffic stop.
During the course of the trial, testimony revealed that Ward met his wife when he arrested her for OVI several years previously.
He was sentenced to 36 months in prison. Ward will be required to register as a Tier 3 sexual offender. Residents will be notified if he is living near them. He could have been sentenced to life in prison.