A 44-year-old Lebanon man accused of trying to lure an 11-year-old girl into his truck in Springboro last week remained in the Warren County Jail on Wednesday.
Anthony W. Ward was arrested on Dec. 14 after police stopped him in the neighborhood where he allegedly asked the girl to come with him to his truck after knocking at her door.
This week, police asked for help from area police agencies and the community in identifying other potential cases in which Ward engaged in similar behavior.
Meanwhile, Ward is being held without bond, while awaiting a parole hearing, according to jail records.
A police bulletin was issued after the victim’s mother called police with a description of the truck Ward left in, according to a police report obtained by this newspaper.
He was taken into custody at the address in the same subdivision where the victim’s family lives. The mother and her daughter described tattoos on Ward’s face and identified him after the traffic stop.
Ward told police he only asked about plowing the family’s driveway and sidewalk.
“He would later go back on this statement and advise that he didn’t remember due to how many houses they approached. This did not make sense due to the fact that the house in question was one of the recent houses that he approached,” Officer Megan Thomas said in the report.
Thomas also indicated she questioned Wade’s statements, in part because the sidewalk had already been cleared and the driveway was covered only with ice, according to the report.
The driver of the truck, who was released after questioning, told police that he and Ward had been asking residents in the neighborhood about snow plowing and that they were interested in removing snow, not ice, according to the report.
Ward is charged with two misdemeanors, child enticement and criminal trespassing. Bond was set at $40,000, but he is being held without bond due to a parole violation, according to jail records.
At his arraignment, a prosecutor said Ward was flight risk because he had been living in Warren County only five months.
A public defender appointed to represent him could not be reached for comment.
Ward is scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 2 p.m. today in Warren County Court.
About the Author