Asher Potts Arrest: High School Student Actually A Man, Allegedly Planned Attack On Classmates
Pennsylvania high school student Asher Potts was thought by everyone that knew him to be a teenager. However, his arrest this week by federal authorities on identity theft charges revealed information that even the couple who were supporting him say they find hard to believe: Asher Potts is actually 23-years-old.
Fox News reported on March 10 that the couple — Stephayne and Michael Potts — who took in Artur Samarin (aka Asher Potts), a Ukrainian national, spoke for the first time since the man was arrested by federal authorities on February 23. He was initially charged with theft, identity theft, and records tampering, all having to do with his assumption of the identity of Asher Potts. The couple, who have supported him for the last few years, told reporters on Wednesday that they’ve known the young man since 2012, but contacted federal authorities last year after he allegedly began making threats toward his classmates and teachers at Harrisburg’s John Harris High School.
“He made comments about other shootings, and he told us that everyone would know his name. He said his name would be the biggest in the world,” Stephayne Potts explained after revealing she had notified the FBI because she thought Asher might actually attempt to make good on his threats. “He started talking about certain kids in school he wanted to hurt. He started talking about blowing the school up.”
Artur Samarin’s attorney, Adam Klein, disputes Potts characterization of his client. He noted that up until his arrest, Samarin had been a model high school student.
“She is trying to paint herself as the victim,” he said. “One would only need to look at her criminal history to see she is a con artist.”
According to Fox News, Stephayne and Michael Potts have not been charged in the Samarin case. However, as to a history regarding legal actions, WPMT-TV in York, Pennsylvania, reports that the couple are listed as defendants in 20 landlord/tenant and civil lawsuits. They say they are now broke due to legal fees and spending most of their money on “Asher.” As for a criminal history, as Klein has suggested, that remains unclear at present.
The Potts say that they met Artur Samarin in 2012 at the Townhouse Apartments in Harrisburg where they live and he was staying. He introduced himself as an international student from Ukraine and told the couple that he was being beat up by the other students in an international work program. Stephayne Potts said she originally thought the young man was 18 but was later told by Samarin himself that he was just 14-years-old. By September, Samarin had moved in with the couple and Stephayne Potts said she enrolled him at John Harris High School. She said she had needed no documentation to do so.
The Potts admitted they knew Samarin was in the United States illegally. She told reporters that they intended to legalize the boy’s status when he turned 18.
She says she still does not believe that “Asher” (as she insisted on calling the young man throughout the interview) is 23-years-old. That would require some proof.
“Someone will have to prove that to me,” Potts told reporters. “We watched him go from high pitched tones to the way he speaks now. His show size, clothing size, he got taller as well.”
Before Asher Potts/Artur Samarin was arrested, he had been an exemplary student at John Harris High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and the school’s ROTC and Naval Sea Cadet programs.
After his initial arrest, Artur Samarin was charged with statutory sexual assault and corruptions of minors when investigators found out he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2014, according to an earlier WPMT report. Those charges were added to the six charges he already faced, including identity theft, three counts of conspiracy, tampering with public records, and theft by unlawful taking (the assumption of Asher Potts identity while attending John Harris High School).
[Image via Shutterstock]
