A high school student and her mother who allegedly hacked into the school district’s computer system to rig the homecoming queen vote in her favor are now facing time behind bars.

Emily Rose Grover, 18, and her mom Laura Rose Carroll, 50, could both serve up to 16 years in prison for trying to influence the outcome of the October homecoming court vote.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began probing the matter in November after the Escambia County School District discovered that 117 votes had been cast from the same IP address within a short time frame. Grover allegedly cast all those votes for herself using the Election Runner online voting system. State investigators found about 246 votes cast by Grover and her mother.

Carroll’s job within the school district as assistant principal of Bellview Elementary School was instrumental in the attempt to make daughter Tate High School homecoming queen. Carroll apparently had access like an administrator to the FOCUS online system for students and parents. The mother’s account accessed about 372 high school records including those of 339 Tate High School students, according to the department.

But Grover’s bragging about the access seemed to have backfired, as investigators got on the case.

‘Multiple students reported that the daughter described using her mother’s FOCUS account to cast votes,’ the department said in a press release in March, when the duo were arrested.

Their operation was busted and Grover was expelled and Carroll was suspended from her job.

Grover was 17 at the time of her arrest but turned 18 in April. On Tuesdsay, the State Attorney’s Office in Escambia County confirmed that the wishful homecoming queen would be tried as an adult.

The pair are each charged with offenses against computer users, computer systems, computer networks and electornic devices. They are also charged with criminal use of personally identifiable information, unlawful use of a two-way communciations device and conspiracy to commit the offenses.  

Grover and Carroll are out on $2,000 and $6,000 bonds, respectively.

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