Married teacher allegedly caught undressed in back of car with teenage student: police

Erin Ward, 45, was allegedly found in a car with a 17-year-old student, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

A Nebraska teacher was arrested April 13 after police allegedly caught her undressed in a car with a teenager.

At 2:49 p.m., the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked on a dead-end street near the 10200th block of North 189th Street, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Officers found the car – a gray 2015 Honda Pilot – and two people in the back seat.

One of the people inside quickly got into the driver’s seat and drove off, crashing into a yard two blocks away, according to the release.

The driver, a teenager, got out of the car “without clothes,” the release said, and fled on foot.

Officers spoke to the other person in the car, an adult female, identified as Erin Ward, who allegedly put on her clothes in the back seat, according to the release.

When deputies found an Omaha Public Schools employee ID card in the SUV, Ward confirmed she was a substitute teacher at OPS Burke High School and two other local schools, according to the communicated.

“Ward also admitted to having sexual relations with the driver who she said was a 17-year-old student at Burke High School,” police allege in the release.

Ward and her partner own the vehicle, according to police.

Shortly after, at 4 p.m., police found the 17-year-old in a nearby neighborhood, wearing boxer shorts, a t-shirt and socks.

He was transported to a safe location to receive treatment and be questioned, the release said.

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Ward and the teen, whose identity has not been made public due to his age, received “minor medical treatment” for the injuries they suffered during the crash and when the teen s He fled on foot, the statement said.

The sheriff’s office confirmed Ward was an employee of Omaha Public Schools, the release said.

She was arrested and charged with one count of sexual abuse by a school employee.

She was taken to the Douglas County Department of Corrections. It is unclear whether she has retained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.

Anyone with additional information about Ward is asked to contact DCSO at 402-444-6000.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected with a certified crisis counselor.

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