Former trooper gets 3 years for sex crimes, judge stays sentence due to coronavirus

Former Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Christopher Ward appears in court. FILE PHOTO

Former Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Christopher Ward appears in court. FILE PHOTO

A former Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper convicted of multiple sex crimes was sentenced to three years in prison.

However, Christopher Ward, 45, will not go to prison yet due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

>> RELATED: Ex-trooper convicted of multiple sex crimes

He was also designated as a Tier III sex offender, which will require Ward to verify his address every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Ward was found guilty of one count of sexual battery and three counts of gross sexual imposition in December.

He was found not guilty of one count of sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition.

Six people accused Ward of sex crimes, including a minor.

Among the accusation is that he inappropriately touched a 15-year-old girl as she slept in a bed with his daughter in March  2018. In an interview with a state investigator when the charges were initially investigated Ward said he was grabbing at the family cat that was on a bed and not seeking to touch the girl.

Ward was initially indicted on on two counts of felony gross sexual imposition and one count of misdemeanor sexual imposition in February 2019.

>> RELATED: Former OSHP trooper charged with sex crimes given training instead of discipline for 2015 incident

The charges stemmed from an incident while on duty in January 2015 and the March 2018 incident.

A few weeks later, two more potential victims contacted the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

About the Author