27-year-old Nebraska man who sexually abused teenage girls while disguised as a high school student learns his fate in court

A 27-year-old Nebraska man who posed as a high school student to sexually assault female students may spend the rest of his life in prison. He was sentenced to 85 to 120 years in prison.

Zachary Scheich of Lincoln created a convoluted backstory to pose as a student at two Lincoln high schools he attended last year and even convinced another woman to pose as his mother.

Sheikh pleaded guilty in July to enticing children by electronic communication, creating child pornography – age 19 and older -, attempted first-degree sexual assault and two counts of first-degree sexual assault.

Aside from registering under Nebraska's sex offender law, he will not be eligible for parole until he has served more than 40 years.

“They didn't know how to protect themselves from you. Because they thought you were their equal. Their friend. And because you had gained their trust,” said Judge Darla Ideus.

“They knew not to talk to an adult man on social media. They knew not to meet with an adult man alone, and they knew how to defend themselves against that kind of danger,” Judge Darla Ideus said in handing down the sentence.

“They didn't know how to protect themselves from you. Because they thought you were their equal. Their friend. And because you had gained their trust.”

Sheikh was arrested in July 2023 when authorities learned that he was posing as a student at both Lincoln Northwest High School and Lincoln Southeast High School under the alias of 17-year-old “Zak Hess.”

It was subsequently revealed that he had inappropriate relationships with students during the 2022-2023 school year.

After creating false documents to lend credibility to his “elaborate backstory,” Sheikh attended classes at the schools for a total of 54 days and sexually abused several children during that time.

Sheikh was sentenced to between 85 and 120 years in prison and may not be eligible for parole for another 40 years.

Sheikh sent text messages to 13- and 14-year-old girls talking about school sports and lessons, making them believe he was a 17-year-old

Court documents detail that Sheikh spent months sending text messages to 13- and 14-year-old girls discussing school sports and classes, making them believe he was a 17-year-old.

Court documents show that the talks lasted for months and that Sheikh even met with the teenagers' families while pretending to be 17-year-old Hess.

Sheikh demanded and received nude photos from a 13-year-old girl and promised money in return.

According to investigators, he asked the girl at some point if she wanted to lose her virginity to him.

According to Lincoln police, at least three other people came forward with their own allegations after Sheikh's arrest.

“Although this individual looked like a high school student, he presented incredibly well-crafted fake documents when entering the schools,” said Dr. Paul Gausman, Superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools.

Sheikh was arrested in July 2023 when authorities learned that he was posing as a student at Lincoln Northwest High School and Lincoln Southeast High School.

Brian Jackson, Lincoln's deputy police chief, said Sheikh “appeared to have mingled with the other students.”

“This person presented a birth certificate and a school report card – and it turned out that everything was fake,” added Matt Larson, LPS assistant director of educational services.

Larson says Sheikh's fake birth certificate, high school transcript, immunization records and even a physical exam were extremely convincing.

“This student completed the enrollment process online and submitted the documents online. And his parent was not directly involved in the enrollment process, which is not unusual,” Larson said.

Curiously, Sheikh had actually attended Lincoln Southeast in 2015, but no one who worked at the school recognized him from that time.

Brian Jackson, Lincoln's deputy police chief, said Sheikh was 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighed 120 pounds and “seemed to have disappeared among the other students.”

In addition to Sheikh, 23-year-old Angela Navarro was also arrested by police in September last year after authorities suspected that she had helped Sheikh enroll in the two schools by posing as his “mother.”

Assistant District Attorney Amber Scholte called Schiech a “predator of the worst kind.”

“He targeted, warned and lured them through social media,” Scholte said. “He did this under the pretense of being their colleague, their friend and in some cases their boyfriend. And he did this for his own sexual purposes and his own gratification.”

Schiech's father Jeff, a pastor in Lincoln, spoke to his congregation about his son's crimes.

“We have heard the bizarre story that he was enrolled as a student at LPS last school year. We have seen, along with you, the extent of the allegations against him in the news – and it is appalling.”

Jeff Schiech prayed “for anyone who may have been hurt.”

In addition to Sheikh, 23-year-old Angela Navarro was also arrested by police in September last year because authorities suspected she had helped Sheikh enroll in the two schools by posing as his “mother.”

Navarro pleaded not guilty to one count of identity fraud and was fined $5,000.