- Lillie Bowman will serve 90 days in prison and be on probation for five years for having sexual relations with a student at Norris High School in Lancaster, Nebraska.
- The 24-year-old taught English at the school and became involved with the student in March 2023: they had sexual relations on 10 occasions.
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A Nebraska court sentenced a former high school teacher to 90 days in jail for sexually abusing a student.
Lillie Bowman will be on probation for five years after a school employee convicted her of third-degree sexual abuse last week, according to Lancaster County court records.
The 24-year-old must register as a sex offender.
Bowman was initially charged with first-degree sexual abuse by a school employee before accepting a plea deal in January.
Former high school teacher Lillie Bowman was sentenced last week to 90 days in jail for pleading guilty to third-degree sexual abuse by a school employee. She will be on probation for five years.
Parents contacted authorities concerned that Bowman was involved with a student at Norris High School in Lancaster, Nebraska. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found that the 24-year-old English teacher and the student had sexual relations on 19 occasions.
Lillie Bowman taught English at Norris High School in Lancaster, Nebraska
Bowman’s attorney defended the composition of the teacher who was hired by her alma mater, Norris High School, in July 2022.
“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.”
He had faced up to two years in prison and/or one year of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Bowman taught English to ninth and tenth graders and also participated on the school’s trap team.
Authorities discovered that she had a relationship with a 17-year-old student in March 2023.
Court records also showed that Bowman and the student had sexual relations on 10 occasions.
She was arrested on May 19, 2023 after “concerned parents” reported the alleged relationship to police.
Former Lancaster, Nebraska, high school teacher Lillie Bowman (left) with her attorney, Michael Wilson (right), at her sentencing hearing on March 29. Wilson defended Bowman’s character as she spoke before the judge and said “she took responsibility” for her actions.
A search warrant was obtained for Bowman’s home, where investigators allegedly found evidence that she sexually abused the teen.
Bowman must serve the jail sentence for 30 consecutive days and must report to the Lancaster County Jail on April 5, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
“Teachers and coaches wield great power and influence over the young people they coach,” 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 whether the victims in these cases ‘consent to the activities,'” he added.
“What Ms. Bowman has done in this case is erode trust in schools and teachers.”