A Nebraska man who allegedly posed as a student at two high schools was charged on Thursday with sexual assault and sex trafficking involving minor victims.
Zachary Scheich, 26, reportedly used the pseudonym “Zak Hess” while enrolled at Lincoln Northwest High School before transferring to Lincoln Southeast High School. Scheich corresponded with the female victims via phone or computer — and police are investigating whether he targeted any students, according to KETV.
Scheich allegedly claimed he was 17 when he started attending Lincoln Northwest High School in October and Lincoln Southeast High School. He reportedly registered for summer school but did not attend.
According to KOLN, Scheich’s victims were two girls, ages 13 and 14. A search warrant reportedly uncovered text messages between him and the victims.
In February, Scheich reportedly asked a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual acts. The following month, he allegedly asked the younger girl to meet for sex, whether she would lose her virginity to him, and if he could pay her for sexually-explicit photos. Police said they discovered evidence of a payment, KOLN reported.
Lincoln police started investigating Scheich on June 1, after receiving a report of a man impersonating a high school student. They alleged that he provided fraudulent paperwork to enroll in school.
“In these text messages Scheich would continue to reinforce his false identity as a peer and discuss things like classwork and high school sports,” an investigator wrote, according to KOLN.
According to the Journal-Star, Scheich graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 2015. He reportedly attended 54 days of school during the 2022-2023 school year.
Though police said Scheich tried to contact students multiple times, none of the crimes transpired on school grounds. They also described him as 5-foot-4 and 120 pounds, possibly explaining why he was able to successfully enroll in high school.
Scheich is charged with sexual assault using an electronic communication device and one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Police said that three more people have contacted authorities involving him following his arrest on Thursday. However, the nature of their contact with him was not disclosed.
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[Featured image: Zachary Scheich/Lincoln Public Schools]
