Florida Teen Accused Of Rigging Homecoming Election To Be Tried As Grownup

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida teen accused of rigging a homecoming queen election together with her mom is being charged as an grownup, prosecutors mentioned.

Emily Rose Grover was nonetheless 17 when she was arrested in March. She turned 18 in April, and the State Legal professional’s Workplace in Escambia County confirmed Tuesday that Grover will probably be tried as an grownup.

Grover and her mom, Laura Rose Carroll, 50, face a number of felony costs stemming from the October homecoming vote at Tate Excessive Faculty in Pensacola.

Whereas employed as an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary Faculty in the identical county, Carroll accessed the college district’s inner system to solid fraudulent votes for her daughter in order that she would win, officers mentioned. The investigation started in November when the Escambia County Faculty District reported unauthorized entry into tons of of pupil accounts, in keeping with the Florida Division of Regulation Enforcement.

Investigators discovered that in October, tons of of votes for the college’s homecoming court docket have been flagged as fraudulent, the information launch mentioned. There have been 117 votes from the identical IP tackle inside a brief time frame, the investigation discovered.

That’s when investigators discovered proof of unauthorized entry to the system linked to Carroll’s cellphone and computer systems at her dwelling. The have been 246 votes solid for homecoming court docket from these units.

A number of Tate college students advised investigators that Grover described utilizing her mom’s system entry, or of watching her mom entry data, for years, the report mentioned. Investigators discovered that since August 2019, Carroll’s account accessed 372 highschool data and 339 of these have been Tate college students.

Investigators mentioned Carroll had district stage entry of the college board’s program. System customers are required to alter their password each 45 days, and Carroll’s annual coaching for the “Employees Accountable Use of Tips for Know-how” was updated, the company mentioned.

Officers have confirmed that Carroll was suspended from her job, however it wasn’t instantly clear if she has been fired. Authorities mentioned Grover was expelled from Tate Excessive Faculty.

Every are charged with offenses towards customers of computer systems, laptop programs, laptop networks and digital units; illegal use of a two-way communications gadget; felony use of personally identifiable data and conspiracy to commit these offenses.

Carroll stays free on a $6,000 bond, and Grover is free on $2,000 bond. Prosecutors mentioned the mom and daughter every face a most 16-year sentence.