A 26-year-old Lincoln man was arrested Thursday after police say he posed as a student at two Lincoln high schools during the 2022-23 school year, according to the Lincoln Police Department.
Zachary Scheich, who posed as a 17-year-old under the alias Zak Hess, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of sexual assault-use of an electronic device and one count of sex trafficking of a minor, LPD Assistant Chief Brian Jackson said at a news conference Thursday.
On June 1, Lincoln Police began a fraud investigation after receiving information from a tip to LPS about an individual impersonating a student that had been enrolled under the name Zak Hess. He was later arrested at Walt Library Branch on Thursday, according to Jackson.
Scheich attended classes at Lincoln Northwest High School during the fall semester and then transferred to Lincoln Southeast for the spring semester. Scheich had previously graduated from Southeast in 2015. Records show he attended 54 days of school during the 2022-23 school year.
Police said Scheich attempted to contact minor students multiple times, but added the alleged crimes did not occur on school grounds.
Scheich is about 5-foot-4, 120 pounds and apparently blended in with other students, Jackson said. He provided a different birth certificate and “presented himself as a 17-year-old seeking education,” he said. The department declined to answer whether Scheich had someone pose as a parent when he enrolled.
When asked how Scheich was able to gain enrollment to two schools, LPS Director of Security Joe Wright said the district is accustomed to accepting students with varying levels of documentation.
“Some parents don’t vaccinate, some homeschooled kids don’t have transcripts when they come in, we have kids from across the world who come in who don’t have birth records,” Wright said, adding that the district has a “statutory responsibility” to educate all children 20 years old and younger. “What’s provided to us is sometimes not as thorough as we like or as proof positive as this kind of case would make you think, but that’s what’s required of us.”
While officials said they don’t expect any drastic shift in how LPS evaluates prospective students, Mindy Burbach, a district spokesperson, said the school district is reviewing how students enroll, which can be done in person as well as online.
Burbach said Scheich used falsified documents to enroll — which triggered the initial fraud investigation — but she couldn’t say which documents or how many he falsified.
Scheich began attending Northwest on Oct. 20, 2022, posing as a junior, before transferring to Southeast on Jan. 12, LPS said in a message to families at the two schools. Scheich was registered to be in summer school, but did not attend, the message said.
Scheich’s absences would have likely prompted contact letters from LPS to whatever address he supplied, said Burbach, who added Scheich’s attendance “was spotty.”
It’s unclear if his spotty attendance, however, put him on the radar of school staff. Burbach also said staff turnover since Scheich graduated from Southeast in 2015, the amount of time that has passed since then and the vast number of students there could have made it difficult for staff to recognize him.
Police have asked anyone with more information or who may believe they are a victim in this case to call the non-emergency number at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.
Lincoln Public Schools Director of Security Joe Wright speaks during a press conference Thursday to announce the arrest of Zachary Scheich, who police say posed as a student at two Lincoln high schools during the 2022-23 school year.