Wife of Defense Department Director and Nebraska Teacher Arrested After Found in the Backseat of a Car Naked with a Minor Student
A 45-year-old substitute teacher and the wife of a high-ranking Defense Department official has been arrested for having sex with a minor student in the backseat of a car.
Local law enforcement responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked on an isolated road.
Upon arrival, they discovered Erin Ward and a 17-year-old student from Burke High School, both undressed, in the backseat of a Honda sedan.
The panicked boy attempted to escape by driving away, but after crashing the vehicle several blocks away, he fled the scene on foot, dressed only in his underwear, t-shirt, and socks. He was later found hiding in a yard.
Both Ward and the minor were taken to the hospital to treat minor injuries sustained from the accident. During the investigation, Ward, who possessed an Omaha Public Schools ID, admitted to engaging in sexual relations with the student. She has been working as a substitute teacher at various schools, including the very institution the minor attends.
The vehicle in question has been identified as belonging to Ward’s husband, William Douglas ‘Doug’ Ward, a Deputy Director and Senior Advisor at the United States Strategic Command.
According to The New York Post, Doug Ward is a distinguished alumnus of Harvard Extension School and has been a dedicated member of the Strategic Command. This command plays a crucial role in identifying and preventing attacks against the United States and its allies.
The couple, who have three teenage children, one of whom is the same age as the involved student, reside in Gretna.
Since the teenager was over Nebraska’s age of consent, which is 16, the teacher avoided charges of statutory rape. However, she was still charged with a felony for sexual abuse by a school employee.
Daily Mail reported:
Erin Ward, 45, was visibly dazed and disheveled in a mugshot released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office three days after her arrest.
She appeared in Douglas County Court on Tuesday, clad in an orange jumpsuit, to face one count of felony sexual abuse by a school employee.
‘Ma’am, you are charged with a Class IIA felony. That is punishable by up to 20 years in jail, up to a $10,000 fine, or both. Do you understand the possible consequences here?’ a judge asked in a clip posted by KETV.
Ward said ‘yes’ before the judge advised that she may have to enroll in the state sex offender registry if convicted.
Ward appeared alongside her attorney, Jerry Hug, for the brief hearing. She is due back in court in May.
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