A 28-year-old woman was arrested and accused of spending an entire year posing as a 17-year-old Louisiana high-schooler

• A 28-year-old woman has been accused of pretending to be a Louisiana high school student for a year.
• Both the woman and her mother were charged on Tuesday with falsifying government documents.

A 28-year-old woman in Louisiana has been arrested and accused of posing as a 17-year-old at Hahnville High School — and getting away with it for an entire year.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office said they had arrested and charged the accused, Martha Jessenia Gutierrez-Serrano, and her 46-year-old mother, Marta Elizeth Serrano-Alvarado.

The sheriff's office accused Serrano-Alvarado of using a "fraudulent passport and birth certificate" to enroll her in the high school. Both women were also accused of falsifying public records.

In a press conference held on Wednesday, Sheriff Greg Champagne told the media that Gutierrez-Serrano had attended Hahnville High School "for a year".

"Far as we know, she did nothing inappropriate at all, merely attended school," said Champagne. "The information we got, about the reason for her doing this was simple. She wanted to learn English, she wanted to become proficient in English."

Ken Oertling, the St. Charles Parish superintendent, said at the press conference that the authorities plans to beef up checks during the enrollment process.

"As a result of this discovery, we are conducting an audit of enrollment documents for students currently enrolled in St. Charles Parish Public Schools. We are reviewing student enrolment policy and procedures, and we will make enhancements based on that review," said Oertling.

Gutierrez-Serrano managed to keep up the ruse for a year — far longer than a 29-year-old woman, who was arrested in January and accused of pretending to be a student at a New Jersey high school for four days.

A representative from St. Charles Parish Public Schools told Insider that Gutierrez-Serrano's case was "an unprecedented event." The representative added that the schools will update parents on "what enhancements will be made to our current enrollment policy, procedures, and processes."

If found guilty of the charge of falsifying public records, Gutierrez-Serrano and her mother could face a prison term of up to five years, or a $5,000 fine.

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office referred Insider to their earlier press release and said they had no further comment when contacted.

Author's note: June 16, 2023 — This story has been updated with responses from St. Charles Parish Public Schools and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office.