Michaelann Goodrich is 32 years old and already has a diploma — but that didn’t stop her from enrolling at a local high school in New York, police said.
According to NewsChannel 13, the woman came up with a fake name, Riley Madison, and claimed she was just 15 years old when she headed to Cairo-Durham High School on December 19.
Goodrich was admitted immediately because she claimed to be homeless. Under federal law, homeless teens must be given admission.
However, administrators were suspicious of the woman and contacted authorities to conduct an investigation, the Daily Freeman reports.
But the 32-year-old was still able to ride the school bus with other children and even attend classes the next day.
That was her only day in the school, as she never showed up on December 21 and then winter break started.
On December 28, Goodrich was arrested by Greene County police.
Joel Rowell with the Green County Sheriff’s Department told NewsChannel 13 that the woman’s motives are still unknown:
“She could’ve gone in numerous different ways to obtain a degree and we actually found out through the investigation and that she has a high school diploma. So that just leads to our investigation to try to figure out what exactly her motive was for attending school.”
Regardless, area parents were concerned following the arrest. Joshua Mack told the outlet:
“It was kind of unnerving, it could’ve been anybody you know you hear about school shootings all that, could’ve been anybody coming in here trying to get plans of the school. I mean obviously that wasn’t the case but it could’ve been.”
He believes that the law that allowed the woman to be immediately enrolled in the school may need to be reviewed. Mack said:
“I don’t know maybe they need to look into the act a little better maybe find out–not throw her in school right away, find out where she came from, find out what’s going on with the family and everything.”
Goodrich is currently being held on $5,000 bail.