South Seattle tutor accused of rape, experts combat child sexual abuse
SEATTLE - A local tutor, 46-year-old Gregory Ward, is accused of coercing a 13-year-old girl into a South Seattle restaurant restroom and having intercourse with her.
Prosecutors say Ward built a relationship with the seventh-grader when he began tutoring as part of City Year, a nonprofit organization providing services as a community partner with Seattle Public Schools.
Ward had a workspace at Aki Kurose Middle School where he tutored in math, reading and science.
Over winter break, on December 30, the 46-year-old met the 13-year-old at the Banana Grill in South Seattle. During this meeting, the teen believed she would be receiving a package, instead Ward asked her to have intercourse. He led her into the restroom and recorded while he raped her. Afterwards, reports say Ward told her to delete their texts and "keep everything a secret."
The teen neglected to respond to calls and texts, worrying her sister and mother, who tracked her phone. Her mother found her behind the Seattle Farm Co-op, where she told police she saw Ward kissing and touching her daughter.
During an interview with police, Ward said he met the victim out of concern, claiming she talked about death and feared she was suicidal.
However, the victim’s sister claims she went through her sister's phone and saw Ward had been texting the teen for months – the conversations described as sexually explicit.
Addressing the growing concern of child sexual abuse, Chris Johnson, director of prevention services with King County’s Sexual Assault Resource Center, underscored the importance of communication and community action.
"Unfortunately, these are not uncommon," Johnson said, noting the rape of a 13-year-old Seattle Public School student. "I'm disheartened," Johnson said.
When asked how communities can better tackle the issue, Johnson called for normalizing conversations about sexual assault and its impact.
"Talking about the importance, understanding that sexual assault impacts community, it doesn't just impact that individual or that family," Johnson said. "Sexual assault also has a greater impact on the community when things like that happen, especially in a small community like a school community."
In 2023, the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center helped more than 4800 survivors and their families, 45% of them being children and teens.
In this instance, the victim described Ward as a "father figure" and called him "dad". The teen told investigators she turned to him when she was feeling overwhelmed.
The victim's sister recalled the teen saying a tutor would buy her noodles and allow her to eat in the teacher's lounge.
It's the changes in behavior, Johnson says, is how grooming often starts – with small gestures.
"That’s typical grooming," he said.
He added that the difficulty of identifying abuse grows as children grow, since some indicators can resemble typical adolescent behavior.
"What we know is that while they may eventually tell a trusted adult, their peers, their friends, are often their ‘first responders’ to the crisis," Johnson said. "We have these conversations with youth about, how do you support your friend? How do you handle disclosure that your friend comes to you with, and then making sure they understand those differences between what are those behaviors that a well-meaning adult would be engaged in, but maybe an adult who has a nefarious motive might engage in."
In his role, Johnson says, age of consent is a topic that tends to pique high school students' interests.
"Kids want to know, because they are also seeing their friends in questionable relationships, right? They start learning about age differences in the age of consent law," Johnson said. "We have to dispel this idea that sexual assault is always perpetrated by a stranger or somebody who's unknown, or the creepy guy in the bush. We know that it's people that we know, that people in our communities, people that have gained trust of us."
Johnson encouraged families dealing with abuse to seek support immediately.
"The most important thing is to believe your child, remind them that the abuse was not their fault, and that you are proud of them for telling you," Johnson said.
KCSARC offers resources and family services to help survivors and their loved ones heal.
"Abuse doesn’t just impact the individual; it impacts the entire family," Johnson said. "It’s why we provide family services to address guilt, fears, and the ongoing support they’ll need."
For resources or to report abuse, KCSARC 24/7 resource line is available at 1.888.988.6423. You can also learn more at kcsarc.org
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