BOISE, Idaho — In coordination with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, the Ada County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for sex crimes against children in California and Idaho.
On July 31, the Windsor Police Department began to investigate a child molestation case from the 1990s. The victims in the case then came forward because they worried that the suspect may have been still molesting other children. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office then overtook the investigation. Detectives with the investigation found enough information to secure an arrest warrant.
On Aug. 13, a judge granted an arrest warrant with a $2,000,000 bail for Richard Leslie Ward. Detectives from Windsor, California then traveled to Boise and arrested Ward alongside the Ada County Sheriff's Office. Ward is currently in the Ada County Jail and awaiting extradition to Sonoma County on seven felony charges.
Officials believe there may be additional victims in Ada County and are asking for them to reach out. If you have any information on crimes related to Richard Ward, you are encouraged to contact the Ada County Sheriff's Office by email at acsofeedback@adacounty.id.gov. Sonoma County victims are encouraged to call the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit at 707-565-8290.
"We don’t typically release information about sex crimes because we have a responsibility to protect victims and their identities. However, we strongly believe there may be other victims who live or have lived in Sonoma County or Ada County," the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office stated.
The sheriff's office also said they have notified the victims that they are releasing this information.