A Nebraska man who committed sex crimes while posing as a student at two Lincoln high schools has now been sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison as a prosecutor labeled him a “predator of the worst kind.”
Zachary Scheich, a 27-year-old who posed as a 17-year-old student named Zak Hess, won’t be eligible for parole for more than 40 years and is also required to register as a sex offender as part of his punishment, according to KOLN. He was arrested in July 2023 after attending around 54 days of classes at Northwest High School and Southeast High School, officials said at the time.
Scheich pleaded no contest to multiple counts of sexual assault and other charges, with Deputy County Attorney Amber Scholte saying this week at a sentencing hearing that his behavior made him a “predator of the worst kind, the kind that preys on children.”
“He targeted, groomed and lured them via social media,” Scholte said. “He did so under the guise of being their peer, their friend, and in some cases, their boyfriend. And he did so for his own sexual purpose and gratification.”
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The crimes Scheich was charged with happened off school grounds, but prosecutors say he sexually assaulted multiple children and cost the school district over $6,000 after creating fake documents and a lengthy backstory to disguise himself as a high school student, KOLN reports.
“They knew not to speak with an adult male on social media. They knew not to meet an adult male by themselves, they knew how to defend themselves against that kind of danger,” Judge Ideus told Scheich during his sentencing Wednesday. “They did not know how to protect themselves against you. Because again, they thought you were their peer. Their friend. And because you gained their trust.”
The Lincoln Police Department previously said their investigation began in June 2023 when Lincoln Public Schools discovered that someone was impersonating a student named Zak Hess.
“Hess reported to be 17 years old and initially enrolled at Northwest High School during the first semester and transferred to Southeast High School during the second semester, all during the 2022-2023 school year,” police said at the time. “It was later determined that he had graduated from Lincoln Public Schools in 2015.”
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An investigation revealed that the suspect was actually 26 years old. At 5’4″ and 120 pounds, police said he blended in with the teenage students.
“Continuing investigation led to the discovery of multiple contacts with juvenile students by Scheich under the false name of Hess,” the Lincoln Police Department added. “This generated information sufficient for an arrest warrant.”
Angela Navarro, 23, also was arrested and accused of posing as a “Danielle Hess,” the mother of Zak, to help Scheich get enrolled in Lincoln Public Schools, KOLN reports.
She has pleaded not guilty to a criminal impersonation charge.
Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
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