Ward faces second trial

Wharton professorWharton professoraccused of solicitingWharton professoraccused of solicitingsex from trooper Wharton Marketing Professor Scott Ward is facing his second court trial on sex-related charges. Opening statements were heard Tuesday in the Montgomery County Courthouse. Facing criminal charges, Ward could receive between 19 and 39 years of imprisonment if convicted of all four felonies. He is also charged with a sexual misdemeanor. Ward was arrested in October of 1993, according to court documents, after he invited an undercover state trooper to spend a night in his Ardmore home -- offering the trooper "money and other things." In November of 1995, Ward was acquitted of criminal charges that he paid a 13-year-old boy from Kensington, known as B.M., to have sex with him. The professor continues to face civil charges from the plaintiff, now 17, that could result in monetary compensation. Prosecutor and University alumnus David Ginsberg represented B.M. in the 1995 trial. "The civil suit is progressing quite nicely and just like the O.J. Simpson trial," Ginsberg said. "When a jury gets to hear all of the evidence, I'm quite confident that justice will be served." One key piece of evidence in the prosecution's current case against Ward, is an October 1, 1993, conversation that took place between Ward and the undercover trooper in the professor's home. According to court documents, an informant set up the meeting in an attempt to plea bargain his sentence. "Ward stated that he was bisexual, and that he liked sex," the court documents say. "Ward asked if [the trooper] liked sex." Detectives stationed outside Ward's house attempted to tape the conversation, but were not able to obtain a clear transcript of the conversation due to faulty setup. Though disappointed with the November acquittal, Ginsberg retains hope for the outcome of the current case. "I hope the good professor won't be as successful in manipulating the facts as he was in the first trial," Ginsberg said. "The detectives and district attorney's office working on the case are among the finest in nation."

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