EATON — The ex-trooper sentenced to three years in prison for multiple sex crimes, including some committed while he was working as a state trooper, was taken into custody Monday as his sentence began.
About a half hour before Christopher Ward’s sentence was imposed Monday, his attorney filed a motion for a new trial.
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Ward, 47, was given a three year sentence last May after he was found guilty on three counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of sexual battery. The judge ruled Ward would not have to report to prison until the appeals court rendered its decision on the case, which happened last week when an appeals court denied his request for a new trial.
The judge’s guilty verdict on three of five of the gross sexual imposition charges, included the case involving a female victim who was touched inappropriately during a traffic stop on U.S. 35 in January 2015.
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That victim, Brittany Crank, said she was OK with being identified and recorded during last May’s sentencing when she spoke to the court.
“This has affected my life for a long time as it has others and their family,” Crank told the judge. “I completely believe this is something that broke many people.”
“This situation makes citizens and their families feel unsafe in their law enforcement,” Crank said.