Douglas County, NE (4/14/2024) — On Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 0249 hrs., the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) received a 911 call reporting a suspicious vehicle parked on a dead-end road near the 10200th block of N. 189th St. Responding deputies found two individuals in the backseat of a Gray 2015 Honda Pilot.
Error, no group ID set! Check your syntax!Upon seeing the deputies, one of the individuals quickly took the driver’s seat and drove the vehicle northbound, attempting to flee. However, the vehicle crashed into a yard approximately two blocks away. The driver, a teenage male, fled on foot, naked, and was not immediately located.
Deputies made contact with the other occupant, an adult female, who was identified as Erin Ward.
Ward, who was putting her clothes back on in the backseat, was found to be in possession of an Omaha Public School employee ID. She confirmed that she was a substitute teacher at OPS Burke High School and other metro Omaha area schools. Ward admitted to having sexual intercourse with the driver, whom she indicated was a 17-year-old male student at Burke High School. The Honda Pilot was determined to be owned by Ward and her spouse.
At approximately 0400 hrs., deputies located the 17-year-old male victim in the nearby Newport Landing neighborhood, wearing only boxers, a t-shirt, and socks. The victim was transported to a safe location to receive care and be interviewed. Both Ward and the victim received minor medical attention for injuries sustained during the vehicle crash and subsequent flight on foot.
The investigation is ongoing, with the DCSO working closely with the Douglas County Attorney’s Office and Omaha Public Schools, who confirmed Ward’s employment. Ward has been transported to the Douglas County Department of Corrections and booked for one count of Felony Sexual Abuse by a School Employee, a class F2A Felony.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of students in the Omaha Public School system, prompting authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
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A law enforcement-related agency has provided this information as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal “All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.” or arrested and charged with a crime have not been convicted of any criminal offense. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
