Former Bountiful OB-GYN pleads guilty to federal charge of child exploitation

Nathan Clark Ward. Photo: Davis County

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 21, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A former OB-GYN from Bountiful has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of exploitation of children.

Nathan Clark Ward, 56, on Tuesday pleaded to the single charge in exchange for other charges being dropped. Ward had been charged with producing, distributing and possession of child pornography.

Ward admitted that he used a smartphone to stream live images of children in various states of undress from his Bountiful home between June 2013 and August 2015.

“Ward admitted that in some of the videos he lifted the shirt of a minor and in others pulled down the minor’s pants,” says a statement released by United States Attorney John W. Huber.

Ward faces as much as 30 years in prison, with a minimum sentence of 15 years. His sentencing is set for May 31.

The investigation into Ward’s case led to an additional suspect. Lehi man Robin Edwin Francis, 41, pleaded guilty in January to receipt of child pornography. He is serving 12 years in federal prison.

“Ward and Francis represent two of 41 child exploitation cases filed by federal prosecutors in Utah during 2017,” Huber’s statement says, adding that several other state and federal law enforcement agencies contributed to the case.

Ward still faces 11 charges in a case filed by the state of Utah:

  • Sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony
  • Aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony
  • Forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony
  • Two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony
  • Six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony

Ward’s next court appearance for Utah charges is set for for March 29 in Farmington.

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