Teen Faces Adult Charges in Rigged Homecoming Queen Contest

Emily Rose Grover turned 18 last month
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 5, 2021 4:00 AM CDT
After Rigged Homecoming Queen Contest, Teen to Be Charged as Adult
Emily Rose Grover   (Mugshot // Florida Department of Juvenile Justice)

Emily Rose Grover, the Florida homecoming queen accused of rigging the contest along with her mom, turned 18 after her arrest—and she'll be charged as an adult. Per USA Today, an assistant state attorney says the move is "not unusual," as juvenile court can't supervise defendants after age 18, so in adult court, she "can be supervised effectively" if convicted. The court can still, however, choose to impose juvenile sanctions on Grover rather than adult ones. Grover and her mother, Laura Carroll, the assistant principal of a nearby elementary school, are accused of using Carroll's access to the district's student data system to cast 246 fraudulent votes in the Tate High School election.

They're both currently free on bond, and will be arraigned May 14. They each face four felony counts punishable by up to 16 years behind bars, NorthEscambia.com reports. Grover is also accused of using her mom's login to the system to access other student's profiles over a period of four years. ("She looks up all of our group of friends' grades and makes comments about how she can find out our test scores all of the time," reads part of one witness statement obtained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.) She's been expelled, and her mother was suspended from her job; it's not clear whether she was ultimately terminated. An attorney for the mother and daughter says, per CyberScoop, that "the brouhaha is mind-boggling. We'll see what happens." (More on the case here.)

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