32-Year-Old Woman Pretending To Be A High School Student Faces Nine Additional Charges

32 year-old Shelby Hewitt was said to have posed as a student in the Boston Public School system last year. On Tuesday, she appeared in court again for new offenses.

Prosecutors say that Hewitt was 32 when she pretended to be a teenage foster child and began attending multiple Boston schools.

Last month, Hewitt was indicted by a grand jury on nine new charges. This includes five felony forgery counts, identity fraud and larceny over $1,200, and public employee standards of conduct violation.

On Tuesday, the prosecution stated that Hewitt made up fake details about being traumatized as a kid with special needs. She also made up several names and dates of birth for herself to help create a story about being a very troubled child, needing major assistance, prosecutors said.

At the same time, Hewitt is accused of receiving a salary of $54,000 from her place of employment as a social worker at the Department of Children and Families.

Court records depict how Hewitt attended three schools, pretending to be as young as 13.

Her defense lawyer stated that she never posed a threat to anyone while she attended the schools. He added that she had suffered from mental health issues for some time, had been in treatment, and was aiming at bettering herself.

Hewitt pled not guilty and was freed on $5,000 bail but has to stay away from schools and individuals under the age of 18.