LINCOLN, NEBRASKA: Zachary Scheich, a 26-year-old man from Nebraska, was arrested on Thursday, July 20, 2023, for allegedly posing as a 17-year-old student and attending two high schools in Lincoln for more than 50 days during the 2022-23 school year. He is facing two counts of sexual assault using an electronic device and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.
According to Lincoln police Assistant Chief Brian Jackson, Scheich used the alias Zak Hess and enrolled online using “convincing fake documents” such as a birth certificate, immunization records, a high school transcript, and a physical from a clinic.
Who is Zachary Scheich?
“He attended school as a student, he attended classes. That was the initial investigation,” Jackson said at a news conference, as reported by NBC News. “And as the investigation progressed, we learned of additional contacts he had with juvenile students.” Scheich’s deception was uncovered on June 1, 2023, when a concerned parent contacted a school administrator and the school district contacted the police. He attended Northwest High School from October 20, 2022, to December 22, 2022, and then transferred to Southeast High School from January 12, 2023, to May 25, 2023.
Police said that Scheich sent text messages to minor girls and asked for “pornographic material” from one of them whom he had previously paid. He also allegedly coerced or paid for certain items from the girls, which led to the charge of sex trafficking of a minor. The press release stated that investigators with the Special Victims Unit were in the process of interviewing additional potential victims to determine the scope of the case.
'Incredibly well-crafted fraudulent documents'
Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman said that Scheich looked like a high school student and presented “incredibly well-crafted fraudulent documents.” He said that the district was reviewing its enrollment processes and working on other safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future, according to KETV. Scheich graduated from Lincoln Public Schools in 2015.
Zachary Scheich's bond was set at 10 percent of $250,000
The Lincoln Police Department issued a press release on Friday, July 21, 2023, confirming Scheich’s arrest and charges. The press release also asked anyone who had interactions with Scheich or may be a victim to come forward and contact the police. Scheich was arrested at Lincoln’s Walt Library on Thursday afternoon and appeared in court on Friday for his arraignment. A judge set Scheich’s bond at 10 percent of $250,000 and ordered him to have no contact with minors or schools. Scheich is scheduled to appear in court again on August 9, 2023.
