Man, 26, who posed as school student for 54 days faces sexual assault charges

Jul 21, 2023

A 26-year-old man who posed as a high school student in the US has been charged with sexual assault.

Police said Zachary Scheich claimed to be 17 and enrolled at Northwest High School in Lincoln, Nebraska under the alias Zak Hess.

He later transferred to Southeast High School, attending 54 days of classes in total, officers added.

According to police, Scheich appears to have blended in with other students – despite the fact he had actually graduated in 2015.

Officers had launched a fraud investigation at the start of June, and he was arrested without incident on Thursday afternoon.

He faces two counts of sexual assault using an electronic device.

Scheich has also been charged with sex trafficking of a minor.

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Detectives are interviewing additional potential victims and attempting to determine the scope of the case.

Students who had interactions with Scheich, or believe they may be a victim, have been encouraged to come forward.

Lincoln Public Schools is now facing questions about how a man in his mid-20s was able to enrol in the first place.

Students are required to provide a birth certificate, vaccination records and past exam grades when they register – but Scheich has been accused of falsifying these documents.

“I’ve been in the district for 10 years, and this is the first time that I can remember something like this happening,” Lincoln Public Schools’ director of security, Joe Wright, told local media.

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