A Nebraska woman is facing charges after police say she was caught engaging in sexual behavior with a student, who fled the scene naked when officers discovered them parked in a secluded area.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Erin Ward, 45, identified as a now-former substitute teacher at Burke High School in Ohama, is facing a felony sexual abuse by a school employee charge, jail records indicate.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, police were alerted shortly before 3 a.m. to a suspicious vehicle near a dead-end road in the Elkhorn neighborhood, on the edge of Omaha. Deputies from the sheriff’s department arrived at the scene and spotted a gray 2015 Honda Pilot parked near North 189th Street.
During a Saturday press statement, law enforcement said deputies approached the SUV and saw two people in the back seat. The teen boy allegedly moved to the front driver’s side seat and drove away, but collided around two blocks north. He then fled on foot, police said.
“The driver, a teenage male, fled on foot wearing no clothes,” the sheriff’s office said, “He was not initially located.”
Police found Ward in the vehicle as she was “putting her clothes on in the back seat.” She later admitted that she was having a sexual relationship with the teen, who she said was 17 years old and a student at Burke.
Ward also admitted that the SUV belonged to her and her husband.
Police subsequently located the teen and took him, along with Ward, to an area hospital. Omaha’s ABC 7 reports that they both had minor injuries from the crash.
On Sunday, Omaha Public Schools released a statement addressing the incident.
“We are writing to share that law enforcement has arrested a metro-area substitute teacher for inappropriate conduct with a minor,” Burke High Principal Darren Rasmussen started.
“The individual worked at Burke High several days during the 2023-24 school year. They will not be returning to our school or any others in our district.”
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[Feature Photo: Erin Ward/Douglas County Sheriff’s Office]
