Northern Kentucky man retried and convicted in child abuse case

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WXIX) – A Boone County man has been sentenced to 63 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual abuse and exploitation of a child.

Benny Ward, 63, was found guilty by a jury on several counts of abuse and exploitation of minors, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said.

The abuse began in 2008, when the victim was 10 years old, according to court documents, with Ward storing child sexual abuse material on his computer and sexually abusing the victim.

Ward was found guilty of the following charges:

• A case of using a minor in a sexual performance
• Three cases of sexual abuse
• Two cases of rape
• Three cases of sodomy
• One count of possession of material depicting a minor in a sexual performance

According to Coleman, Ward was tried and convicted of these crimes in 2017, but the conviction was overturned by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Coleman's office requested a retrial of the case to “obtain justice for the victim.”

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