Prosecutors ask Dubuque school official to surrender passport

The Dubuque County Attorney's Office is requesting Hempstead High School Assistant Principal Shane Oswald surrender his passport if he is released on bond.

Oswald is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor by a school employee, giving a controlled substance to a person under 18 and giving alcohol to a person underage. Oswald is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.

Prosecutors said at a court hearing Wednesday that Oswald bought a one-way ticket to the Bahamas and wrote a suicide note to his family while under police investigation.

Oswald told the court he flew to Miami and spent some time there in a hotel then flew back to Dubuque.

Oswald said he spent two weeks in Mercy Medical Center's psychiatric ward after being diagnosed with bi-polar depression.

Oswald's arrest this week comes after more-than-a-monthlong investigation.

According to court records, the student said the first time they had sex was at Oswald's house while his wife was in the hospital recovering from surgery.

She said several times after that Oswald let her in the basement window where they would have sex while his family was upstairs sleeping.

The victim also said Oswald gave her beer and whiskey to help her relax while they had sex. She claims he also gave her a painkiller many times in his office at Hempstead.

“I think it's safe to say it's beyond just a simple ‘he said, she said,'?“ Police Lt. Scott Baxter said. “There was additional evidence ... and we felt comfortable filing the charges we did.”

The criminal complaint indicates Oswald denied all allegations.

Oswald is being held in the Dubuque County Jail on $50,000 bond.

Katie Wiedemann, KCRG-TV