A former high school teacher was jailed for 90 days by a Nebraska court for sexually abusing a student. Lillie Bowman will be on probation for five years after being convicted of third-degree sexual abuse by a school employee last week, according to Lancaster County court records. The 24-year-old is mandated to register as a sex offender.
Bowman faced charges of first-degree sexual abuse by a school employee but later accepted a plea deal in January. Her lawyer defended Norris High School's decision to hire her as a teacher in July 2022. Bowman taught 9th and 10th graders in English and was also involved in Norris High School's trap team.
Sex with Student Multiple Times
"She was honest, that says a lot about Ms. Bowman and her character," Wilson told the judge during the March 29 sentencing hearing. "She took responsibility." She had been facing a potential sentence of up to two years in prison and/or one year of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, or both.
In March 2023, authorities found that she had a romantic involvement with a student who was 17 years old.
Additionally, court documents revealed that Bowman and the student had sex on 10 occasions.
She was arrested on May 19, 2023, after 'concerned parents' reported the suspected relationship to the police.
After obtaining a search warrant, authorities allegedly found evidence of Bowman's sexual abuse of the youngster inside her house.
Bowman taught English to students in 9th and 10th grades and was also associated with the school's trap team.
Bowman has to now go to the Lancaster County Jail on April 5 of 2024, 2025, and 2026 in order to begin serving his jail sentence, which will be served 30 days at a time.
"Teachers and and coaches yield high amounts of power and influence over the young people that they manage,' Lancaster County prosecutor Morgan C. Smith said during the hearing.
"That's one of the reasons we have these laws because we can never know for sure that the victims in these cases 'consent to the activities'," he added.
"What Ms. Bowman has done in this case is erode the trust in schools and teachers.'
