No Jail for Teacher Caught Having Sex With Student in the Backseat of Her Car

An Omaha woman found guilty of sexually assaulting a student enrolled in the high school where she was a substitute teacher has received three years probation without jail time.

Erin Ward, 45, was discovered by Douglas County deputies in the backseat of her car last April, where she said she and a 17-year-old student repeatedly had sex.

Deputies responded to a call concerning a suspicious vehicle parked on a dead end road around 3 a.m. on a Saturday, First Alert 6 reported. Two people were seen in the backseat of the vehicle, and as deputies approached, they witnessed a nude male hurry into the driver’s seat, start the vehicle, and flee without turning the lights on. Within a few blocks, the car crashed into a yard.

Following the crash, the male exited the car and ran. He was located nearby in underwear and a t-shirt over an hour later.

Still in the backseat of the car, deputies made contact with Ward as she was getting dressed. She confirmed she was a substitute teacher at Burke High School and admitted to having had sex with the male student. Ward went on to confess to engaging the minor in sexual activity on multiple occasions in the car, which belonged to Ward and her spouse.

Erin Ward pleaded no contest to felony child abuse for which she was found guilty in November. On Wednesday she was sentenced to three years probation without jail time.