A former Winside Public Schools teacher was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for having sex with a 17-year-old male high school student.Cali Heikes, 26, of Winside, faced up to six years in prison after pleading guilty in July in Wayne County District Court.
Both charges had sentencing ranges of zero to three years in prison. District Judge Mark Johnson sentenced Heikes to two years on each charge. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended the sentences be served concurrently, or at the same time. A second count of second-degree sexual abuse by a school employee was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
After completing her prison sentence, Heikes will serve 18 months of post-release supervision and must register with the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.
As previously reported, Heikes was arrested Jan. 22 after the Wayne County Sheriff's Office investigated a tip about her ongoing relationship with the student. According to court documents, a deputy received a call the evening of Jan. 20 from a Department of Health and Human Services hotline about a teacher believed to be in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male.
According to the deputy, he then recalled a traffic stop from Jan. 12 when he observed two vehicles leaving the area around the Winside Cemetery. The deputy stopped the vehicle driven by the alleged victim for a traffic violation and the driver reported he was at the cemetery with "his friend Cali," according to the warrant.
At the time of the stop, the deputy also made a note of the other vehicle leaving the area, a black Chevrolet SUV. The plates for the black Chevrolet SUV were registered to Heikes.
Later that evening, the deputy interviewed the victim's sister about the potential relationship, and she said that Heikes would sneak into the victim's house at night to have sexual intercourse. She also told deputies that she believed the pair were meeting about two to three times a week around town.
That family member showed the deputy text messages substantiating her report. The deputy also reported an interview with other family members in which they recalled the alleged victim asking "how they would feel if he was dating a 25-year-old."
Heikes later submitted her resignation as a family consumer science teacher and librarian.
