Man Who Tried To Meet Girl For Sex Indicted On Charges

WOODSTOCK, GA — A Kennesaw man who thought he was arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl for sexual contact earlier this year in Woodstock has been indicted on charges stemming from his alleged actions.

A Cherokee County grand jury this week indicted Thomas Arthur Ward on two counts each of sexual exploitation of children and obscene internet contact with a child, court records show.

Ward was arrested in March 2018 after the Cherokee Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division Internet Crimes Against Children Unit intercepted his alleged plans to meet the child at a local hockey rink located off Main Street in Woodstock.

Ward, described as a "traveler, was arrested March 28 at the outdoor pavilion at the rink, which is behind the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency's office and adjacent to the sheriff's office's Criminal Investigations Division.

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A traveler is described as a person who "travels a distance to meet a juvenile for the purpose of an immoral or indecent act or the furtherance of said act," the sheriff's office previously said. The ICAC unit began its investigation while using the Whisper app, a tool that allows for anonymous contact between parties. The agency said Ward allegedly used the app to set up a meeting with a female juvenile at the Woodstock location.

Ward, who was 60 at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody and transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. An arraignment for the defendant has not been scheduled at this time.

Photo: Thomas Arthur Ward. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office