PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — A former deputy with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office is charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials.
Andrew Ward was arrested on February 4 and is facing two counts of sexual assault on a child under 15 years old, and 13 counts of sexual exploitation.
According to documents obtained by our news partners at The Gazette, Ward had at least 500,000 child sexual abuse materials in his possession, however, police estimate it could be closer to one million.
Ward is scheduled to make his first court appearance on February 23.
Background Information
In December 2025, the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office says they received a report that Ward allegedly sexually assaulted a child. After receiving the report, the sheriff's office began an internal and criminal investigation and placed Ward on administrative leave.
The internal investigation addressed employment-related matters, including compliance with agency policies and standards, while the criminal investigation addressed potential violations of the law.
Detectives identified two child victims, with the most recent incident occurring in 2020. As they continued investigating, they found Ward was in possession of child sexual abuse material.
The sheriff's office says Ward was assigned to transportation and was fired on January 14, 2026. An arrest warrant was issued for Ward on February 4, and he was arrested.
Ward is currently being held in the Pueblo County Jail without bond. He had been employed with the sheriff's office since June 2, 2014.
The Gazette's Cleo Westin contributed to this web story.
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