The former Grantsville High School football coach facing myriad felony charges in connection to sexual abuse and witness tampering was back in 3rd District Court Tuesday morning.
Curtis Ware, 48, is charged with three counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse and four counts of misdemeanor lewdness. He is also charged with third-degree felony tampering with a witness in a separate but related case.
During the roll call hearing in the sex abuse case, prosecutors made a motion to dismiss one count of first-degree felony forcible sodomy and refile the charge in Iron County.
At the time of Ware’s arrest, a probable cause statement from Grantsville City police indicated the alleged unlawful activity between Ware and one of the victims occurred in Cedar City. The two victims were identified as female students who were 16 and 17 years old.
The court granted the request and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 30 at 8 a.m. before Judge John Mack Dow. The arraignment in the witness tampering case was rescheduled for the same date and time, and will trail the sexual abuse case.
The allegations against Ware were brought to the attention of school officials and police; a second juvenile victim was later identified in the investigation, according to the probable cause statement from Grantsville City police. Charges in the sexual abuse case were filed on Nov. 11 but the alleged sexual abuse occurred during, and prior, to last July.
In interviews with both victims, they described being touched inappropriately and one victim was sexually assaulted, according to the probable cause statement.
The witness tampering charges were filed against Ware in February after Grantsville City Police said he contacted one of the victims through social media, then met with her in person and created a plan for her to lie about the validity of the accusations against him.
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.