A 32-year-old woman, Shelby Hewitt, accused of fabricating her identity as a student within the Boston Public School system, declared she was not guilty of the nine indictments against her, as confirmed in Suffolk Superior Court on Tuesday. Hewitt's charges include three counts of forgery, two counts of forgery at common law, identity fraud, larceny over $1,200, and uttering and making false claims to her employer, as reported by NBC Boston.
During the period between December 6, 2021, and February 3, 2023, prosecutors allege that Hewitt, who is a social worker for the Department of Children and Families, executed an elaborate ruse, misleading the education system and state authorities into believing she was a minor. She gained access to special education services and treatment for an eating disorder under an assumed identity, all while maintaining her position and drawing a $54,000 annual salary, according to details from NBC Boston.
The bizarre case has raised questions about the oversight in Boston's educational institutions, with Hewitt's lawyer, Timothy Flaherty, acknowledging her "significant mental health challenges" but also bringing into focus the lapse that allowed such an occurrence to unfold over a considerable time. These concerns seem to echo among the parents with children in the same school system, one of them expressing their alarm and consternation over the supposedly protective figure immersed among unsuspecting students, including her own daughter.
As per court statements, Hewitt allegedly went as far as purchasing a domain name to creating email addresses and phone numbers for nonexistent DCF workers. She then used these fictional personalities and the real identity of a child under state care to weave her tale of trauma and need within the school system while maintaining her true persona. According to Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Ashley Polin, she was a well-educated adult employed in the child welfare sector; this fact alone may inflate the shock of those who now scrutinize the safeguards meant to prevent such deceptions. Despite the proceedings, Boston Public School officials and Superintendent Mary Skipper have yet to give comments on the incident that has left families feeling unsettled, as per NBC Boston.
The court has set Hewitt's bail at $5,000, which she has already posted, along with instructions to maintain a distance from any potential witnesses, all BPS employees, schools including Boston Public Schools, and the Walden Behavioral Health Center, and to refrain from interacting with minors and practicing social work.
