Former Sonoma County Man Faces Child Molestation Charges: Sheriff

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A former Windsor man was recently arrested on suspicion of several child molestation charges, and authorities believe he may have victimized additional children in Sonoma County and/or Ada County, Idaho.

In late July, the Windsor Police Department began to investigate a child molestation case from the 1990s. The victims came forward because they were worried the suspect, Richard Leslie Ward II may have molested other children and may still be, Sonoma County Sheriff's Spokesperson Rob Dillion said.

Detectives in the sheriff’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit took over the investigation and worked to develop enough information and evidence to obtain a warrant for Ward's arrest.

A Sonoma County judge granted their request on Aug. 13. Because of the severity of the allegations, the judge granted the warrant with a $2 million bail.

Detectives traveled to Boise, Idaho, and on Aug. 14, with the help of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Ward. He was interviewed and booked into the Ada County Jail. Ward remained in custody Tuesday in Ada County, awaiting extradition to Sonoma County on suspicion of seven felony charges.

"We are asking anyone who may be a victim of Ward to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office DVSA Unit at 707-565-8290," Dillion said. "We don’t typically release information about sex crimes because we have a responsibility to protect victims and their identities. However, we strongly believe there may be other victims who live or have lived in Sonoma County or Ada County. Therefore, we are releasing this information and Ward’s booking photo."

Dillion said the victims who reported the allegations knew the information was being released Tuesday. The sheriff's office will not provide further information to the public or the media, he said.