Seattle Public Schools tutor charged with rape of 13-year-old student

According to charging documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Gregory Emmanuel Ward, while employed as a math tutor for an education nonprofit, promoted and fostered a relationship with his 13-year-old student, who is identified as “LD,” that ultimately led to her sexual assault on December 30, 2024.

The day of the alleged assault, LD told her family she was going to meet a group of friends but in the afternoon, her sister, identified as “TD” noticed she wasn’t answering her phone. TD and her mother tracked LD’s phone to an alley near 3100 Alaska Street and found Ward kissing and touching her.

When Ward saw LD’s mother, he ran down the alley. Though LD initially stated nothing occurred, she then told her family that she and Ward were at the Bananas Grill on Martin Luther King Jr Way in Seattle and that he had sex with her in the bathroom.

LD went to Swedish First Hill Hospital where she sought treatment and was contacted by law enforcement. LD further reported that she was in middle school at Aki Kurose Middle School and Ward has been her math tutor for the last several months. Ward is a tutor with City Year, an education non-profit that contracts with local schools.

LD said she met Ward at the restaurant “but didn’t know he was going to harass her.” While at the restaurant, Ward allegedly told her he wanted to have sex and though LD was scared, she agreed. Ward reportedly told her to go into the bathroom after he did and once inside, he took off her clothes and sexually assaulted her. LD reported Ward took pictures of her and told her to keep everything a secret.

Ward's arrest is the latest in a pattern of public school teachers being arrested for sex crimes involving minors in Washington. Later, Ward allegedly touched her buttocks and breasts in a nearby park. LD tried to leave but he pulled her closer. The mother reportedly found the two in an alley near the park when Ward ran.

LD told investigators that she and Ward communicated via text, and he would send her sexually explicit messages about her body to make “him hard.” Ward allegedly told LD to delete their messages.

Seattle Police located Ward near his residence and confirmed that he is a program manager for AmeriCorps and works at City Year training teachers and managing trainees who have contracts with schools to provide enrichment programs. He also stated he provides tutoring to students in math, reading, and science. He has a workspace at Aki Kurose Middle School and stated he believed he was being questioned over what LD’s mother must have told officers.

Ward told officers he knew LD was 13 and in Aki Kurose Middle School’s 7th grade and met her at the beginning of the year. He stated he met LD at the Banana Grill over concern about her safety and initially denied being alone with LD but later admitted to sending explicit messages to her and entering the men’s bathroom with LD “goofing off.” The defendant stated everything he did that day was wrong and inappropriate but denied having sexual intercourse with LD.

He remains in the King Jail on $250,000 bail, the amount requested by prosecutors and set by the Court. Ward’s next court date is his arraignment scheduled for 8:30 am on Jan. 16 at the King County Courthouse.

Seattle Public Schools told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI in a statement, "City Year is a nonprofit organization providing services as a community partner of SPS in several district schools. Mr. Ward worked as a program manager for City Year at Aki Kurose Middle School and South Shore K-8. The district has prohibited Mr. Ward from returning to SPS schools. SPS is taking these allegations very seriously. The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we are committed to taking appropriate steps to ensure their protection. While we have received no reports of any other alleged acts of misconduct involving Mr. Ward, we are investigating to determine whether any may have occurred. SPS is also evaluating the status of its partnership with City Year in light of this incident."