All his classmates were left in a state of complete shock. The police had burst in on their first lesson of the day and arrested the new kid. They didn't know what to think as they watched the cops drag him away from everyone.
Was he really dangerous? Or was it a setup?
Asher Potts
Asher Potts was an aspiring pilot who had a promising future. He was planning to attend a top college in his state and start his career in aerospace engineering.
But Asher hid a dark secret that was about to change his life forever.
He Worked Hard
Asher worked two jobs to save enough money to pay for his degree. But he soon realized his salary wouldn't be enough to cover all the fees.
So, he started to look at some shadier options. And this was just the beginning of a deep rabbit hole of deception that would get him arrested.
Difficult Life
To make matters worse, Asher had big problems with his adoptive parents, Stephayne and Mike Potts. He couldn't stand them and wanted to move out as soon as possible.
One day, he made a drastic decision that would not end well.
Enough Is Enough
According to the ambitious student, his adoptive parents treated him like a servant in his own house. “Everything they ask of me, I could not tell them ‘no,’” Asher said of his parents.
One day, he packed his bags and headed to a local shelter. That day, he would receive a life-changing call.
Impressive Young Man
Asher's friend from school called him and offered to help him out. The boy's family agreed to help Asher out of the shelter and let him stay with them in their home.
"He was a very impressive young man. He was respectful and intelligent and seemed to have a plan for his life," said the boy's father. But his opinion of his son's friend was about to change.
Alerting The Authorities
Things seemed to be going great for Asher at first. He had been accepted into a prestigious flight school and military program. But one day, he found out that his adoptive parents had contacted the authorities and told them what was going on.
Asher knew he had to move out, but he didn't want to return to his abusive foster parents.
Pure Motives
'My understanding is his motives were pure," said the boy's lawyer Adam Klein. "And given his time at Harrisburg High School, no one had a complaint about him."
"By all accounts, he was an excellent student," said Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico. "He was involved in the community, he was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program, he did community service." But there was something they didn't know about Asher.
Arrested
As Asher entered the classroom that day, he struggled to concentrate on the lesson due to the fear that the police would arrest him when he got home. A few minutes later, the police barged into the room and handcuffed him.
Asher was facing jail time. So, what had happened?
Ukrainian Immigrant
Asher Potts's real name was Artur Samarin. He was a 22-year-old immigrant from Ukraine. Artur entered the country on a temporary visa to build a better future for himself.
He lied about his age to get adopted, allowing for state-funded education and indefinite stay.
Big Plans
The Potts family helped him remain in the country but claimed Artur was planning something far more serious to ensure “everyone would know his name.”
So, what was he planning?
Sinister Plot
Artur was charged with document fraud and statutory sexual assault for being intimate with a 15-year-old. His adoptive parents also told the FBI they suspected him of planning a terror attack on his school.
They claimed he commented on "other shootings" and also talked about "blowing the school up."
Deported
Stephayne was sentenced to five months in prison for her role in the crimes. Artur served less than one year in prison before being deported back to his home country.
But he hasn't given up yet. What was he planning?
Playing The Victim
Artur still claims he wasn't at fault and that the US government treated him unfairly simply for trying to be a good student.
So, what is he up to now?
"A Coal Doesn't Have To Be A Coal"
Artur is currently studying in Ukraine. "A coal doesn't want to be a coal," he said in one of the interviews after the incident.
"It wants to be a diamond." There must've been an easier way for him to follow his dreams, don't you think?