Supreme Court rules against sex offender, sends case back

An admitted sexual offender whose case has been winding its way through the courts for more than four years lost his argument to the Montana Supreme Court recently and now faces sentencing in the Fifth Judicial District Court in Boulder. 

Jaret Ward, now 19, Jefferson City, told the high court the district court erred in moving his case to adult court, saying the action exposed him to double jeopardy. The Supreme Court upheld the district court and sent the case back for sentencing. 

Ward was initially charged in early 2013 with five felony allegations, including sexually molesting an 8-year-old boy in a Montana City church bathroom, attempting other sexual encounters, and intimidating victims. Later that year Ward admitted sexual intercourse without consent against younger boys.