The Nebraska instructor accused of sexually abusing a teenage pupil has been pictured trying unkempt in a brand new mugshot and appeared in court docket the place bail was set at $25,000.
Erin Ward, 45, was visibly dazed and matted in a mugshot launched by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Workplace three days after her arrest.
She appeared in court docket Tuesday, clad in an orange jumpsuit, to face one depend of felony sexual abuse by a faculty worker.
‘Ma’am, you might be charged with a Class IIA felony. That’s punishable by as much as 20 years in jail, as much as a $10,000 advantageous, or each. Do you perceive the attainable penalties right here?’ the decide requested.
Ward affirmed earlier than the decide suggested that she might need to enroll within the state intercourse offender registry if convicted.
Erin Ward, 45, appeared dazed and matted in a mugshot launched by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Workplace forward of her first court docket look
The married mom of three faces one depend of felony sexual abuse by a faculty worker, carrying a sentence of as much as 20 years in jail
Ward’s Tenth-grade daughter (entrance left) is across the similar age because the boy the substitute instructor admitted to sexually abusing
The married mom of three admitted to having intercourse with a 17-year-old pupil after the pair had been caught within the backseat of a automobile belonging to Ward and her husband – who’s a higher-up on the Division of Protection.
Earlier than her arrest, Ward labored as an alternative instructor at a number of metro space colleges. It was at Omaha Burke Excessive College she met the teenage boy with whom she was discovered within the early-morning hours of April 13.
Round 3 a.m., Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies had been known as to research a suspicious automobile parked on a dead-end street.
There, they discovered Ward and the sufferer inside a Honda Pilot ‘decided to be owned by Ward and her partner,’ the DSCO wrote in a press launch.
The 17-year-old jumped into the motive force’s seat and sped off within the SUV, crashing right into a yard two blocks away. He then ran away carrying solely a t-shirt, boxers and socks, and was discovered about an hour later.
Ward was getting dressed within the again seat when deputies approached.
They recovered an Omaha Public Faculties worker ID from contained in the automobile. Ward confirmed she was a substitute instructor at Harry A. Burke Excessive College, the place the teenager was enrolled, and admitted to having sexual activity with him.
Each she and the sufferer had been taken to the hospital to deal with minor accidents ensuing from the crash.
Because the age of consent in Nebraska is 16, the instructor was not charged with statutory rape, however faces a Class IIA felony cost carrying as much as 20 years behind bars.
Ward, who lives along with her household in Gretna, has an adopted daughter who’s across the similar age as her sufferer.
Ward was arrested Saturday morning after Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies discovered her bare contained in the automobile with the coed, who crashed right into a yard and fled on foot
Ward (heart) labored at a number of Omaha-area colleges embody Harry A. Burke Excessive College, the place her sufferer was enrolled
She and the teenager had been present in a automobile she owned alongside her husband, 53-year-old Doug Ward, a U.S. Division of Protection worker
Doug graduated from the Harvard Extension College in 2021 with a grasp’s diploma in political science and authorities and has labored with the federal authorities for almost 20 years
Police recovered an Omaha Public Faculties ID from the automobile the place Ward and the boy had been discovered and he or she admitted to the crime
Her husband, 53-year-old William Douglas ‘Doug’ Ward, is a Harvard-educated deputy on the Division of Protection.
Doug was appointed Deputy Director of the Commander’s Motion Group and Senior Nuclear Deterrence Advisor at the USA Strategic Command in February.
His LinkedIn exhibits he labored with the Strategic Command since 2005 and initially served as a Deputy Department Chief.
The Strategic Command, which is headquartered in Omaha, is a navy unit that detects and deters assaults towards the nation and its allies.
Along with his spectacular job title, Doug graduated from the Harvard Extension College in 2021 with a grasp’s diploma in political science and authorities.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced that it’s working intently with Omaha Public Faculties amid the continuing investigation.
Burke’s principal, Darren Rasmussen, launched an announcement to members of the group following information of Ward’s arrest.
‘We’re writing to share that legislation enforcement has arrested a metro-area substitute instructor for inappropriate conduct with a minor,’ he wrote.
‘The person labored at Burke Excessive a number of days throughout the 2023-24 faculty 12 months. They won’t be returning to our college or any others in our district.
‘Our prime precedence is all the time the security and well-being of the scholars we serve. We take this most critically. Counselors shall be obtainable on Tuesday for college kids in want of help.’
The affidavit has been sealed by the court docket. Ward’s preliminary listening to is scheduled for Could 22.
