A 45-year-old married teacher from Nebraska was arrested for having sex with a 17-year-old student in his car. It has now been discovered that the substitute teacher is the wife of a senior official in the U.S. Department of Defense. Although the age of consent in Nebraska is 16, the female teacher has been charged with a felony and faces 20 years in prison.
Teacher Erin Ward was found naked in a car with a 17-year-old student, who tried to flee the scene but crashed the car before escaping in just his underwear.
At around 3 a.m., police received reports of a suspicious car parked on a dead-end street. According to the New York Post, they found 45-year-old Erin Ward and a 17-year-old boy in the back seat of a Honda sedan.
The boy, who was naked, jumped into the front seat and drove off, but crashed a few blocks away before fleeing on foot.
More than an hour later, he was found nearby wearing only underwear and a T-shirt.
Both Ward and the student were hospitalized for minor injuries sustained in the crash.
Ward, the teacher, reportedly admitted to having sex with the boy and was found in possession of an Omaha Public Schools identification card and admitted to working as a substitute teacher at multiple schools, including Burke High School where the boy was identified as a student.
The car the teacher and student were found in belonged to the teacher’s husband, who Senior U.S. Department of Defense official.
Her husband, William Douglas ‘Doug’ Ward, 53, is deputy director and senior adviser to U.S. Strategic Command. He accused her of having a sexual relationship with a student, the Daily Mail reported.
Doug graduated from Harvard School of Continuing Education in 2021 and has been with Strategic Command since 2005, initially as deputy chief.
He and his wife live in Gretna, Nebraska, with their three teenage children, one of whom is the same age as the student involved.
Although the age of consent in Nebraska is 16, Ward faces a Class IIA felony charge that carries a possible sentence of 20 years in prison, the Daily Mail reported.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is working with Omaha Public Schools on the investigation. Burke Principal Darren Rasmussen informed the community of Ward’s arrest and emphasized student safety.
He said Ward, who worked at Burke High School for the 2023-24 school year, will not return to any district school. Counseling support will be provided to students in need.
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