Man sentenced in Sacramento child sex abuse. Victims came forward as adults

A Sacramento man convicted of sexually abusing three girls over nearly a decade was sentenced Friday to 41 years in state prison.

Elton Glenn Ward, 52, was sentenced by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Sweet after a jury found him guilty in December of 18 counts of committing lewd acts on a child and one count of forcible rape, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

The abuse occurred over eight years and involved girls who were between the ages of 6 and 16 at the time of the assaults. All three victims disclosed the abuse as adults, the D.A.’s Office said.

Prosecutors said Ward was a trusted figure within the families of the victims. One woman told investigators Ward began molesting her when she was 6 and continued until she was 13. Another reported being 13 when Ward assaulted her in a car. A third victim said Ward molested her when she was 11 or 12 after a shopping trip and raped her at age 15.

Ward was arrested in Grass Valley in 2023 after the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into two cases of abuse, which dated back to 2001.

The D.A. Office said that, under California’s elder parole law, Ward will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years, including credit for time already served, making him eligible for a hearing in approximately 18 years.

During the investigation, sheriff’s officials urged any additional victims or witnesses to contact the department’s Child Abuse Bureau or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers.

Ward’s sentencing follows renewed efforts by local law enforcement to hold abusers accountable for long-concealed crimes, including those disclosed years after the fact.

He remains in custody in the Sacramento County Main Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison facility.