In an emotional press conference on Sept. 2, Tooele County School District officials revealed that Grantsville High School’s head football coach had been arrested the previous day in connection with sexual assault of two female students.
Grantsville City Police Chief Kevin Turner said the victims were 16 and 17 years old, during the press conference on Sept. 2. The allegations against Curtis Ware, 48, were brought to the attention of school officials and police; a second juvenile victim was later identified in the investigation.
Ware was charged in 3rd District Court with one count of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, three counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse and four misdemeanor counts of lewdness.
When Grantsville City police interviewed the second victim, she said Ware had touched her inappropriately several times, including on her breasts, the probable cause statement said. She said she had also seen Ware do the same to the first victim and the first victim told her about sexual activity with him, including a sexual assault which occurred in Cedar City.
When police interviewed the first victim, she said there was inappropriate touching that occurred on several occasions in Grantsville prior to the incident in Cedar City. Based on the information received from the victims and information from a victim’s mother that Ware made arrangements to contact the victim, he was arrested and booked into the Tooele County Detention Center.
GHS principal Mark Ernst received the information of the alleged sexual assault and notified the police department, student’s parents and the Tooele County School District, according to a school district news release. Ernst said two students came to his office with the allegations and described the aftermath as emotional for the school and personal.
“I don’t want to believe this happened with one of my teachers or to some of the students I supervise,” he said.
The school district conducted an internal investigation and the school board accepted Ware’s resignation during its Oct. 11 meeting.
Ware was employed as an assistant football coach at Stansbury High School from September 2009 through December 2010. He was hired as an assistant football coach at GHS in August 2011 and transferred to the same position at SHS in April 2014.
Ware was hired as the GHS head football coach in February 2015 and was hired as a special education, long-term substitute teacher in August 2015.