SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 10, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Legislature posthumously saluted a departed Utah Highway Patrol sergeant Friday on the floor of the State Capitol.
“Today we had the honor to have the State Legislature recognize and honor one of our fallen, Sgt. Craig Ward,” the UHP said in a Friday afternoon post online.
“The family of Sergeant Ward was able to receive this recognition in his honor. We are so thankful to Senator Ipson, Representative Wilcox and the state legislature as a whole for their dedication to public safety and the Utah Highway Patrol.”
Ward’s 2022 death was not in the line of duty, but from sudden, undisclosed cause, the UHP said. He was honored this year by lawmakers because his demise came after the close of last year’s legislative session.
“Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Craig Kent Ward, Badge #121, ended his watch on April 20, 2022,” reads his obituary.
The Preston, Idaho, native after joining the Idaho National Guard enlisted in the US Army, serving for nine years. He attended the US Naval School of Explosive Ordinance Disposal, achieving the rank of staff sergeant specializing in Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and ultimately as an EOD Team Leader.
He served on a peacekeeping mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1995 to 1996, and to Kosovo from 2000 to 2001. He also was assigned to the US Secret Service in Washington, D.C., due to his EOD expertise.
He joined the UHP in 2001, his first assignment the 2002 Olympics. The rest of his 20-year career with the Highway Patrol he was a patrolman with UHP Section 8 in Wendover, Utah. Craig chose to stay in Wendover, bringing stability and continuity to the Wendover Section. Earning certification as an accident reconstructionist, he testified as an expert witness in court for many accident investigations.
