was a Mormon ward executive secretary and former elementary "teacher of the year" in Santa Clara County, California; accused of sexual abuse of at least 10 children; pleaded guilty to charges related to sexual abuse of four children over a six-year period; sentenced to 14 years in prison; in 2024, a lawsuit said the LDS church failed to report abuse; as of 2024, lives in St. George, Utah

Case report

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Craig Harward was a Mormon ward executive secretary and former elementary “teacher of the year” in Santa Clara County, California; accused of sexual abuse of at least 10 children; pleaded guilty to charges related to sexual abuse of four children over a six-year period.

In 2004, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In July 2024, a civil lawsuit was filed in Alameda County, California against Harward and the LDS church, claiming that Mormon leaders knew of abuse allegations against Harward but failed to report them to police.

FLOODLIT obtained the 29-page complaint. Its text is included in the sources section of this case report.

The plaintiff said Harward sexually abused her in an LDS church building during Sunday services, as well as during other LDS church activities.

She said Harward “would repeatedly take Plaintiff out of bible class […] several times per month to sexually abuse her and the class leader would allow it. Defendant HARWARD would open the classroom door, ask for Plaintiff to come with him, and the LDS Corporation leader leading the class would allow it without question despite Plaintiff seeming more and more hesitant each time. The class leader would tell Plaintiff to go and that ‘it’s okay you will be right back.’ No one ever asked Plaintiff why she didn’t want to go.”

Harward was a Mormon church missionary in Uruguay in approximately 1972-1974. Gardner Russell was the mission president there during at least some of Harward’s mission.

As of 2024, Harward is a registered sex offender and lives in St. George, Utah.

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Case information sources

  1. Teacher of the year accused / Milpitas man suspected of molesting 5 children
    view source details | 17 Aug 2002 | SFGate
  2. Ex-teacher guilty of molest charges / 14-year sentence in Milpitas case
    view source details | 12 Mar 2003 | SFGate
  3. The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Craig Allen HARWARD
    view source details | 10 Jun 2004 | Santa Clara County Superior Court
  4. DOE V. THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, a Utah Corporation sole; CRAIG ALLEN HARWARD, an individual
    view source details | 10 Jul 2024 | Superior Court of Alameda County Public Portal
  5. Craig Allen Harward
    view source details | 11 Jul 2024 | Utah Sex Offender Registry

Case information source details

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