The husband of the Nebraska substitute teacher who was allegedly caught naked with a teen Saturday was revealed to be a Harvard-educated deputy at the Department of Defense, Daily Mail reported.
Erin Ward, a 45-year-old Nebraska substitute teacher, faces charges after allegedly being found naked with a 17-year-old student. This incident draws further attention due to her husband, William Douglas Ward, a Harvard-educated deputy at the Department of Defense, according to Daily Mail.
Douglas, 53, holds a position as Deputy Director of the Commander’s Action Group and Senior Nuclear Deterrence Advisor at the United States Strategic Command in Omaha, where he has served since 2005, the outlet reported. His role reportedly involves critical defense strategies. The couple resides in Gretna, just outside Omaha, with their three teenage children, one of whom is around the same age as the student involved. The family’s involvement in academic and community activities has been well-documented on their social media profiles, Daily Mail reported.
Married teacher caught naked in car with male student, 17, is the wife of Harvard-educated Department of Defense commander and they have a daughter the same age as her victim https://t.co/wsK2OC87Fg pic.twitter.com/tp2q8IEY8X
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) April 15, 2024
Erin, who frequently taught at Omaha Burke High School, allegedly met the student there. Although the legal age of consent in Nebraska being 16, Erin was charged with felony sexual abuse by a school employee, not statutory rape. This charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, Daily Mail said. (RELATED: Former Elementary School Teacher Gets Probation After Being Accused Of Sexually Assaulting 4th Graders)
Erin was allegedly discovered naked with the high school student on April 13, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The discovery occurred when deputies were called to a suspicious vehicle on a dead-end road. The alleged situation escalated when the teenager, allegedly found with Erin, drove away hastily, crashing the vehicle a short distance away.
Following the arrest, Burke High School principal Darren Rasmussen assured the community of the school’s commitment to student safety.
“We are writing to share that law enforcement has arrested a metro-area substitute teacher for inappropriate conduct with a minor,” Rasmussen said in a statement, KETV reported. “The individual worked at Burke High several days during the 2023-24 school year. They will not be returning to our school or any others in our district.”