BEATRICE – A former Beatrice Public Schools paraeducator will serve probation and a jail term for a relationship with a 14-year-old male student.
29-year-old Casey Schaefer will serve a 90-day term in the Gage County Jail and a four-year probation sentence, after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and negligent child abuse.


Schaefer apologized in court to the victim, his family, her family and Beatrice Public Schools.


"I'm sorry and ashamed of my behavior....I know my mental health may have influenced my choices, but that does not excuse me or anyone, for the boundaries I have crossed."


Schaefer was dismissed as a school district employee when investigators uncovered messaging between her and the student victim. Schaefer’s attorney, Gage County Public Defender Lee Timan said his client had no criminal history and has gone through counseling.


"I don't think this will happen again. Clearly, this is not something that she was looking to put herself in this situation. Certainly, she understands that she is the adult and that the young man involved certainly was not at fault in any way. But, I don't think this is a situation we're ever going to see again. She has no prior criminal history. She's otherwise led a very law-abiding life."


Timan said it was a very big mistake Schaefer will learn from. He also said the incident did not go beyond inappropriate communications.


Gage County Attorney Roger Harris said the case involved an adult in a position of authority that acted inappropriately with a student. The county attorney’s office sought dismissal of a felony charge of enticement, as part of a plea bargain.  "She has expressed her remorse, and we also believe that the underlying issues leading up to this criminal behavior are outlined in the PSI (presentence investigation) very adequately. Obviously, the county attorney's office as well as the school system are very concerned about the impact on the juvenile victim, in this matter."


District Judge Rick Schreiner said the case is difficult for everyone involved and is a serious one.  "To call what you did here, inappropriate, is a gross understatement, because it's criminal. I read the police reports....all of them...and you clearly committed these crimes and maybe more.....just based on what I saw."


Schreiner said Schaefer has made progress through seeking counseling to cope with stress prior to sentencing. But he said a 90-day up-front jail term was necessary in the case…saying Schaefer violated the public’s trust.  "While I find probation is appropriate, confinement in the county jail is necessary, because a sentence of probation without a period of confinement would depreciate the seriousness of the crime and promote disrespect for the law. The court has to send messages in situations like this, that it will not be tolerated in this community."


The judge declined a request for house arrest and ordered that Schaefer must turn herself in to begin the jail sentence, on December 3rd. He said work release could be allowed in the case.  Schreiner said he does not like putting persons in jail over the holidays, but said, “this is a serious offense.”