The death of a Henniker man found unresponsive in his jail cell Tuesday morning is under investigation by the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office.
Roger Ward, 52, of Henniker, who was housed in his own cell, was found by Merrimack County jail staff during a routine welfare check at approximately 2:50 a.m., Superintendent Ross Cunningham said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. Ward was later pronounced dead by medical professionals who responded to the scene in Boscawen.
Cunningham declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Ward’s death, citing the ongoing investigation: “It’s unfortunate. It’s just that fresh that I can’t speak to the circumstances.”
The state medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy of Ward’s body Tuesday morning.
Ward was facing 15 felony charges, including aggravated felonious sexual assault, felonious sexual assault, indecent exposure and lewdness, and endangering the welfare of a child, according to court documents. He was being held for lack of $260,000 bail.
Ward was accused of sexually assaulting two girls under the age of 13 between May and August of this year. Indictments handed down by a grand jury in November allege he inappropriately touched both girls and recorded the younger girl performing oral sex on him.
Prosecutors say Ward also told the younger girl to “twerk” with her pants pulled down and recorded her doing so on his iPad.
Henniker police opened an investigation into Ward on Aug. 15 after receiving a report of possible sexual abuse. They interviewed the two girls at the Merrimack County Child Advocacy Center in Concord. Ward was arrested Sept. 7 and pleaded not guilty to the charges Sept. 8 in Hillsborough’s district court.
Ward had not yet been arraigned on the new indictments. That hearing was scheduled for Jan. 4 in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord.
(Alyssa Dandrea can be reached at 369-3319, adandrea@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @_ADandrea.)