Ward trial to begin tomorrow

ED. NOTE: The trial was eventually postponed due to pre-trial matters Marketing Professor Scott Ward -- who was arrested last fall on charges of soliciting sex from minors for money -- is scheduled to enter the Montgomery County Courthouse tomorrow for what could be the beginning of a very lengthy trial. But Jean Green, Ward's attorney, said tomorrow's proceedings may consist entirely of pre-trial matters and that the actual trial "is so far down the road I can't say how many months [it will be]." And according to Montgomery County District Attorney Chris Maloney, a jury has not even been selected for the case. Motions filed by the District Attorney's office to suppress evidence are among some of the pre-trial issues which will be dealt with tomorrow, Green said. Maloney said he has made all of the evidence available. "We provided all of the information we have through discovery," he said. "[Green] knows as much as we do." Ward was first arrested on October 1, 1993 following a six-week sting operation into alleged prostitution and pedophiliac activities. He was arrested after he allegedly offered money for sex to an undercover state trooper posing as a fifteen-year-old boy. Ward faces 11 counts of criminal attempts to commit corruption of minors, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, and prostitution. Ward has pleaded innocent to all charges. Four of the criminal charges against Ward were dropped in November when District Judge Caroline Stine found that the tape recorder used by the undercover police officer to record key evidence malfunctioned. However, in March District Judge John Sachaczensky found sufficient evidence to reinstate the charges. Maloney said in March that of the 11 charges, the most serious charge is involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, which could land Ward 10-20 years in prison if he us convicted. He added this week that the case's notoriety will also delay the proceedings of the trial. "Something this high-profile certainly slows things down," said Maloney, adding that the process of selecting a jury will also cause delays. Green would not comment on Ward's case, except to say that it is "strong." He refused to disclose whether anyone from the University would serve as a character witness for Ward, whose status as a professor has not changed since his arrest in 1993. Ward refused to comment on the case.