A High School Honors Student Was Allegedly A Grown Man Posing As A Teen

Artur Samarin, an immigrant from Ukraine, was arrested Tuesday on charges of identity theft and tampering with public records, according to the Associated Press.

"I'm here for a reason," Samarin told ABC 27 from jail. "I'm here in this prison because I've done a crime. I'm a criminal, unfortunately, but it is true."

The 23-year-old had been posing as an 18-year-old senior at Harrisburg High School, under the name "Asher Potts," Harrisburg police told the AP.

Samarin had allegedly assumed his new identity after his visa expired. He had a driver's license with his fake identity on him when he was arrested, the AP reported.

The Harrisburg Police Department didn't immediately return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.

He was a member of the school's NJROTC and served on a panel at a January youth summit, the station reported.

He even met with state lawmakers. State Rep. Patty Kim tweeted a photo of herself with Samarin, aka Potts, in 2014, saying he was "going places."

She claimed he was a sophomore who had a 4.16 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society.

A spokesperson for the Harrisburg School District confirmed the arrest to ABC 27 and said the district is taking the matter seriously.