Suspect says new evidence proves he did not kidnap, assault nanny

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- We are hearing again from the man who was arrested and accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Northeast Fresno nanny.

From the Fresno County Jail, Joseph Ward called our newsroom and said that new evidence in the case proves he is not the person responsible for the crime.

"I received a discovery from my attorney, on there it says they found two minor profiles of DNA, and they wanted to compare mine, and they did a rape kit test and it doesn't match to me," said Ward. "They found fingerprints in her car, multiple fingerprints, none of them compare to me. They found fingerprints on her cellphone, none of them match to me."

Mark King, a criminal defense attorney met with Ward on more than one occasion. He is not Ward's attorney but has been working with his family who is interested in retaining his representation.

We asked King about the evidence Ward says he has that shows he is innocent.

"Mr. Ward showed me some things when I met with him, but I am not going to tell you what he showed, and what I think about what he showed me."

King added that, "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. People are wrongfully accused of crimes everyday and just because someone has been charged with crime doesn't mean they have committed the crime."

ABC 30 legal analyst Tony Capozzi said it is possible Ward's DNA was not found, but that does not mean he is innocent.

"There may not be, but is there an alibi to where he was at that particular time? If there is an alibi, would GPS back up his alibi?"

In a search warrant, authorities say there are other clues that link him to the attack.

One being the black basketball shorts and t-shirts found in Ward's girlfriend's hamper.

Items police say the suspect was seen wearing and holding in this surveillance video.

Still, Ward says investigators found the wrong guy.

"I feel really upset. For me, I feel I am being falsely accused because of my record, my past history, and because I live in the area."

Action News reached out to Joseph Ward's public defender to see if we could get copies of the discovery and learn what was revealed, but were told he would not be commenting on a pending case.