One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Former Sheriff's Department Psychologist Convicted Of Sex Crimes Against Two Children
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department (Photo via Facebook)
Former L.A. County Sheriff's Department psychologist Michael Dane Ward was convicted Friday of sexual assaults against two children. The children were under the age of 10 when the crimes occurred, and Ward faces a possible life sentence for his crime. He is set to be sentenced in October.
Ward was charged with the abuses in 2016. He was found guilty of "four counts of lewd act on a child, two counts of forcible lewd act on a child under 14, three counts of oral copulation of a child 10 years old or younger and one count of sodomy with a child under 10," according to the L.A. County District Attorney's office. The crimes occurred between 2013 and 2015. The victims, a boy and a girl, testified against Ward in the trial.
Ward's work at the Sheriff's Department involved training law enforcement officers, according to the L.A. Times, and his crimes were unrelated to his job. He was relieved of his duties with the Sheriff's Department during the investigation, according to KTLA.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
