The married Nebraska substitute teacher who was found naked in a car with an underage student has been identified as the wife of a Harvard-educated, high-ranking federal government official, the Daily Mail reported, citing records and social media accounts.
Erin Ward, 45, who confessed to having sex with a 17-year-old boy, is the wife of Doug Ward, with whom she shares three children, according to posts shared by the couple. Doug Ward is a director at the U.S. Department of Defense, who has spent nearly two decades with the U.S. Strategic Command headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, which detects and deters attacks targeting the United States and its allies, the Daily Mail reported, citing his LinkedIn account.
Erin Ward, 45, was charged with felony sexual abuse by a school employee after being caught by police with a 17-year-old student from a high school in Omaha where she worked. Authorities received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked on a dead end at around 3:00 a.m. last week.
Ward and the boy were found in the backseat, at which point the minor panicked, scrambled to the front seat and attempted to drive off, WOWT reports. The car was found crashed about two blocks away before the teenager ran off.
Ward was getting dressed in the back seat of the vehicle when police found it at the second location and allegedly confessed to having sex with the teenager. The substitute teacher had a Omaha Public Schools identification with her at the time and admitted to having worked at various schools within the district, including Burke High School, where the boy was later identified as a student, according to KLKN.
The boy was later found by police hiding in a yard while only wearing underwear and a T-shirt. The vehicle was reported to have belonged to Ward and her husband.