SignalHub-Nebraska man sentenced for impersonating 17-year-old high school student: Reports

A 27-year-old man who posed as a Nebraska high school student to prey on SignalHubteenage girls has been sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison, according to multiple reports.

Zachary Scheich, who was known by peers as 17-year-old “Zak Hess," disguised himself as a high school student for more than 50 days to exploit and sexually assault over a dozen girls, with some being as young as 13, the Washington Post and KOLN reported.

Scheich blended in with other students using his 5 feet 4-inch height and 120-pound stature, Lincoln police said. He attended multiple schools throughout the Lincoln Public Schools District.

Although Scheich passed as a student, in reality, he had graduated from the same district in 2015, Lincoln Police Department assistant chief Brian Jackson said at a news conference in July 2023.

USA TODAY contacted Lancaster County officials on Monday but did not receive a response. It is unclear who Scheich's legal representation is.

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Judge scolds Zachary Scheich during sentencing hearing

Lancaster District Judge Darla S. Ideus handed down the sentence on Sept. 11 on charges of sexual assault, child enticement with electronic communication and generating sexually explicit images of children, the Washington Post reported. Scheich did not talk during his sentencing hearing, but he instead submitted a letter to the judge that was not read aloud in court, according to the outlet.

The lengthy sentence comes after Scheich pleaded no contest in July as part of a plea deal to reduce the number of felony counts against him from 15 to five.

“The children you exploited were not equipped to protect themselves because they thought you were their peer,” Ideus said during the brief sentencing hearing," Ideus said during the sentencing hearing, per the Post.

How did Zachary Scheich get caught?

The investigation in Scheich began on June 1, when Lincoln police were contacted by the school district. The district had discovered that a person was impersonating a student during the 2022-23 school year using the name Zak Hess.

Hess, who was secretly Scheich, enrolled at Northwest High School during the first semester and later transferred to Southeast High School during the second semester. Investigators would soon find out Hess was a 26-year-old who graduated from Lincoln Public Schools in 2015.

School records revealed Scheich went to the schools under the Hess alias for a total of 54 days, police said.

'I am supposed to feel safe in school'

During the sentencing hearing, Ideus read an impact statement from one of the girls Scheich had victimized.

“I am supposed to feel safe in school, and I no longer feel safe in a place that I used to,” Ideus read from the girl’s letter, per the Post. “I’m so guarded that anyone who tries to talk to me or get to know me, I shut it down. I never believe what anyone says anymore. My trust is so broken, that even if I want to believe someone, I can’t.”

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amber Schlote called the harm to Scheich’s victims immeasurable, as it led them to miss school, suffer failing grades and have anxiety, shame and a deep mistrust of adults.

“It has undeniably altered their life’s trajectories,” Schlote said, according to the Post.

Along with Scheich, a 23-year-old woman faces criminal impersonation charges related to the case. Angela Navarro pleaded not guilty and maintains she was manipulated by Scheich, KOLN reported. She was arrested on Sept. 29, 2023, according to the TV station.

Navarro, who police say was 22 at the time, posed as Scheich’s mother while using the alias “Danielle Hess” to attend meetings with school counselors, KOLN said, citing an arrest affidavit. Navarro remains free on bond and is awaiting trial.

What did Lincoln Public Schools say about Zachary Scheich?

Lincoln Public Schools sent out an alert to families at Northwest and Southeast High Schools, police said. According to documents provided to USA TODAY by the school division, the alert gave families a breakdown of what happened.

• October 20, 2022: He began attending Northwest High School.
• January 12, 2023: He transferred to Southeast High School.
• May 31: The school district received a report that an adult male may be attending one of its high schools pretending to be a junior. The district’s student services and security department contacted the police and turned the information over to the police as it was discovered.
• July: Police confirmed that Zachary Scheich did enroll and attend two high schools during the 2022-23 school year under the name Zak Hess.
• He was arrested in July 2023.

Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Paul Gausman and Associate Superintendent for Educational Services Matt Larson spoke to community members in July 2023 and said the district gave out Hess's picture to schools and let them know he was no longer allowed on the premises while police tried to confirm his identity.

The officials also said the district follows state and federal requirements for enrolling students, which can be done online or in person. Regardless of whether someone applies online or in person, the district requests a birth certificate, immunization records, physicals and transcripts, school administrators said.

The district explained that the man exploited the enrollment process by using fake documents. Now, enrollment processes will be reviewed.

Extra safeguards have been put into place, such as multiple in-person conversations with parents and guardians who are trying to enroll students. District officials also said it will continue to accommodate families whose schedules do not allow for multiple meetings.