A jury on Wednesday convicted a 40-year-old Tucson man of sexually assaulting a teenaged girl almost two years ago.
Walter Ward faces dozens of years behind bars when he is sentenced Oct. 23. The jury convicted Ward of all 10 counts he faced in the case.
In closing arguments were heard late Tuesday in Pima County Superior Court, Ward and Stephen Jay Calaway confronted a 37-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter after they stopped at a convenience store near East 29th Street and South Craycroft Road on their way to Douglas to deliver tortillas, Deputy Pima County Attorney Michelle Araneta told jurors.
The mother was putting air into her tire when she was forced back into her van by Calaway, 57, Araneta said.
When the mom got into the car, she saw Ward holding her daughter at gunpoint.
People are also reading…
The men demanded money from the pair before demanding the woman’s debit cards and personal identification numbers, Araneta said.
Ward then forced the girl into the convenience store to withdraw some funds, Araneta said.
On the way back to the van, Ward took the girl behind a nearby shed where he sexually assaulted and molested her, Araneta said.
After returning to the van, Calaway threw away the woman’s keys and both men drove away. A DNA test matched saliva found on the girl to Ward, Araneta said.
The Arizona Daily Star does not name the victims of alleged sex crimes and is withholding the mother's identity to protect the teen.
Ward faced multiple counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery and a variety of sex charges. Jacob Amaru, an assistant Pima County public defender, urged jurors to completely discount the DNA evidence, saying it was contaminated within the crime lab.
Calaway was convicted on seven felony charges last month, including kidnapping, aggravated robbery, armed robbery and aggravated assault and sentenced to 44.5 years in prison last week.
Judge Richard Fields is presiding over the case.
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
