Erin Ward
(Photo : Douglas County Sheriff's Office)
Nebraska substitute teacher Erin Ward, 45, is seen in an undated photo released by authorities after she was charged with sexual abuse by a school employee on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in an incident involving a 17-year-old boy.

A married Nebraska substitute teacher was arrested after she was found pulling her clothes on in the back seat of an SUV following an alleged affair with a teenage student.

Erin Ward, 45, was charged with was sexual abuse by a school employee following the early Saturday morning incident in Elkhorn, according to reports that cited information from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on a dead end road around 3 a.m. and spotted two people in the rear of a Honda Pilot, according to TV station WOWT.

The vehicle is owned by Ward and her husband, according to the Omaha Herald.  

As the deputies approached, an unidentified 17-year-old boy reportedly scrambled behind the steering wheel and sped off but crashed in a yard about two blocks away.

The teen then jumped out of the vehicle and ran away without any clothes on.

He was found in a nearby neighborhood about an hour later, wearing only boxers, a T-shirt and socks. 

Ward was reportedly getting dressed when deputies confronted her and she allegedly admitted having had sex with the teen, who she said was a student at Burke High School in Omaha.

The deputies found an Omaha Public Schools employee in the SUV and Burke reportedly told them she worked as a substitute teacher at Burke and other area schools.

The school district confirmed Ward's employment and is assisting with an ongoing investigation, according to the Omaha Herald.

Both Ward and the boy were treated for minor injuries.

As of Monday afternoon, Ward was being held in the Douglas County jail, according to online records.