A Bountiful doctor who already was charged in state court with sex abuse and sex exploitation has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three child-pornography counts.
The indictment against Nathan Clark Ward — which was issued under seal last Wednesday and unsealed Friday — accuses the obstetrician-gynecologist of one count each of production of child pornography, possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.
The alleged crimes began on “a date unknown” and continued until about Aug. 16, the indictment says. No other details are given.
Ward pleaded not guilty to all three counts at a hearing Friday in U.S. District Court and was ordered detained pending resolution of the case by Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead, according to court documents.
The 55-year-old Ward was charged in August in Utah’s 2nd District Court with 11 felonies: sodomy upon a child, aggravated sexual child abuse, forcible sodomy, two counts of forcible sexual abuse and six charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is being held in the Davis County jail on those charges, and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 25.
State charging documents allege Ward sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in Davis County in 2012 and abused a “minor female” between 2012 and 2015. Charging records indicate the doctor “occupied a position of special trust” to the minor female, but did not detail the relationship any further.
In addition, Ward is accused of the six counts of sexual exploitation for allegedly possessing, viewing or sharing at least six images of child pornography in 2016.
A probable cause statement filed in the 2nd District Court case indicated that when Ward was arrested, investigators traced three child pornography images to a computer at Lakeview Hospital, where he worked. Investigators also allegedly found six additional internet protocol (IP) addresses originating from not only Lakeview Hospital, but also other medical facilities and Ward’s current Bountiful residence.