Ex-Wharton professor Scott Ward is stuck in jail - for now. A federal judge ruled on Friday that Ward, charged with importing child pornography, will remain in Virginia court custody until his trial.
The judge overturned last Wednesday's ruling that Ward could return to his Massachusetts home if he posted bail set at $2 million and abided by strict regulations, which included wearing a GPS-tracking device and never accessing travel documents or a computer.
Ward has been in court custody since his Aug. 27 arrest at Dulles Airport, where he was charged for importing child pornography into the country from Brazil, according to the clerks' office at the District Court in Alexandria, Va.
Federal prosecutor Ed Power argued that because of the "compulsive nature" of Ward's crime and the incentive he would have not to return for trial, releasing Ward would endanger the community.
Ward is facing additional charges of possessing child pornography after homeland-security agents searched his Huntsman Hall office and found what they allege is child pornography and images of Ward having sex with a minor.
In response to these developments, as well as the media attention given to Ward's case, Penn officials are keeping to their earlier - but brief - statements.
President Amy Gutmann reiterated that "the most important fact is that Mr. Ward is no longer at Penn."
Some criminal-law experts had been surprised by the initial decision to set bail, possibly allowing Ward to go free until his trial.
Philadelphia criminal-defense lawyer Patrick Artur said that previous charges of this nature against Ward -- such as a 1999 case in which he was accused of soliciting sex from an undercover state trooper posing as a 15-year-old male prostitute - are "very telling." In that instance, Ward did not acknowledge guilt but conceded that the evidence was sufficient to convict him. He received 5 years' probation and a $2,500 fine.
Artur, who stated last week that "Ward won't be going anywhere anytime soon," echoed Power's concerns that tracking Ward via an electronic bracelet would not sufficiently protect the community or guarantee Ward's presence at his trial.
Though Ward was allowed to remain on the faculty despite the outcome of the 1999 trial, administrators say that is no indication to suspect that other professors' pasts hold incidents of this kind.
It is not fair "to speculate that there are other faculty members in this situation," Gutmann said.
While Gutmann would not comment on the effect Ward's charges will have on future faculty screening and recruitment, she noted that the school has "set a clear standard" in how it is handling the Ward's case.
Ward attorney Peter Greenspun said he does not know when Ward will be taken to Philadelphia to face the charges stemming from the search of his campus office.
The trial date for the Virginia charges has also not been set.
