The Nebraska substitute teacher caught naked in a car with a teenage student appeared in court for the first time Tuesday.
Erin Ward, 45, admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old student at Burke High School where she worked, according to cops.
In court she was officially charged with felony sexual abuse by a school employee and ordered held on $25,000 bond, according to KETV Omaha.
Ward faces up to 20 years in prison if she’s convicted.
Ward was able to dodge statutory rape charges because the teen was above the Nebraska age of consent, which is 16.
If Ward posts bond, she will not be allowed to have any contact with the victim or any other minor, according to local channel WOWT.
Douglas County sheriff’s deputies arrested Ward early Saturday after finding her allegedly fooling around with the teenage boy in the family car, a Honda sedan.
Ward is a mom of three kids and is also married to Harvard-educated, high-ranking federal government employee Doug Ward, according to records and social media accounts.
Her husband has served with the Pentagon’s US Strategic Command for nearly two decades, according to his LinkedIn page.
Deputies arrived at the scene in response to a call about a suspicious parked vehicle at 3 a.m. on April 13.
When they looked inside the car, deputies spotted a naked Ward with a partially clothed teen.
The teen quickly moved to the driver’s seat and drove off before crashing just two blocks away.
He then fled by foot.
He was later found hiding in a yard wearing only a T-shirt and underwear.
