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(02/05/04 5:00am)
Imagine this: All of your friends are old enough to hit the bars, but you're not -- so you're left at home alone. So you get a fake ID and join them at the bars every weekend with thousands of other students, partying as a pseudo-21-year-old. Then, during one of your weekend outings, your good time screeches to a halt as you are confronted by undercover off-duty police officers. \nThis was the experience of junior Brett Maslin.\nMaslin was at Kilroy's Sports Bar, when he was caught using his fake ID. Maslin never anticipated he would get into trouble for using his fake ID, which he had owned for more than five years. After refusing to present identification to an off-duty police officer, back-up police officers were called. He was then arrested and taken to the infamous "drunk tank" for 16 hours. Maslin was charged on three counts: public intoxication, minor in a tavern and illegal consumption. He was not, however, charged with false identification. \nThe next day, Maslin's public intoxication charge was dropped at court and he was allowed to participate in a pre-trial diversion program. The program includes a $350 fine, an eight-hour alcohol class, one year of probation and a meeting with an alcohol counselor. \nVarious punishments can happen to fake ID holders, and Maslin's tale is just one example. Consequences for being caught using false identification range from doing jail time to simply having the ID confiscated. \nUsing false identification to drink is a misdemeanor, a minor offense with a potential penalty of detention for up to 180 days. However, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Scott Oldham says there is little chance that someone will be sent to jail for an extended period of time for being caught using a fake ID. Usually, the severity of the punishment for such a crime depends on several factors, including criminal background. \nAlong with the legal repercussions of using a fake ID and drinking underage, there are also many consequences that students can encounter from the university. IU Division of Student Affairs Investigator Connie Cook says the range of consequences is extensive.\n"Each case is different," she says. "The punishments can vary from a warning to disciplinary probation."\nFake ID use is a common occurance in college towns like Bloomington, and liquor stores are well aware of the issue. Big Red Liquors requires all employees to attend a three-hour training session with the company's loss prevention officer. Employees use questioning guides and black lights when determining if someone is using false identification. Big Red Liquors Chief Operating Officer Wade Shanower says the store's policy requires employees to confiscate the fake ID. Last year, the store took about 100 IDs.\nJunior Anette Soto had her six-month-old fake ID taken away at Big Red Liquors. She had a fake ID for the same reasons as many other students.\n"There was nothing to do on the weekends," she says. \nShe did not suffer any legal consequences for having the ID, but she did lose a $100 investment: her fake. \nEven though fake IDs sometimes carry heavy financial costs, they are often easy to obtain. \n"A friend said he knew a friend, so the guy came and took my picture, asked me what I wanted on it, and he brought it back to me," Soto says. "He even drove to Bloomington, so it was pretty convenient."\nMaslin says it was also easy for him to create false identification. \n"I'm from New York, so all I had to do was use a colored pencil to become 21 on my driver's license," he says.\nSo what does the Bloomington social scene leave for bored, underage students? Going to the library on a Friday night? Studying for a chemistry test four weeks in advance? Most likely, students will continue trying to find ways to go out with their of-age friends. \nEven though both Maslin and Soto have suffered the consequences of being caught using fake IDs, they say they are still willing to run the risk again.\n"If I was younger (I would get another fake ID), but I'll be 21 in March and I don't want to pay for another one," Soto says. \nMaslin has no question about wanting another fake ID. Despite the high prices of the cards, his decision about getting another is simple: "In a heartbeat," he says.
(02/05/04 2:02am)
Imagine this: All of your friends are old enough to hit the bars, but you're not -- so you're left at home alone. So you get a fake ID and join them at the bars every weekend with thousands of other students, partying as a pseudo-21-year-old. Then, during one of your weekend outings, your good time screeches to a halt as you are confronted by undercover off-duty police officers. \nThis was the experience of junior Brett Maslin.\nMaslin was at Kilroy's Sports Bar, when he was caught using his fake ID. Maslin never anticipated he would get into trouble for using his fake ID, which he had owned for more than five years. After refusing to present identification to an off-duty police officer, back-up police officers were called. He was then arrested and taken to the infamous "drunk tank" for 16 hours. Maslin was charged on three counts: public intoxication, minor in a tavern and illegal consumption. He was not, however, charged with false identification. \nThe next day, Maslin's public intoxication charge was dropped at court and he was allowed to participate in a pre-trial diversion program. The program includes a $350 fine, an eight-hour alcohol class, one year of probation and a meeting with an alcohol counselor. \nVarious punishments can happen to fake ID holders, and Maslin's tale is just one example. Consequences for being caught using false identification range from doing jail time to simply having the ID confiscated. \nUsing false identification to drink is a misdemeanor, a minor offense with a potential penalty of detention for up to 180 days. However, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Scott Oldham says there is little chance that someone will be sent to jail for an extended period of time for being caught using a fake ID. Usually, the severity of the punishment for such a crime depends on several factors, including criminal background. \nAlong with the legal repercussions of using a fake ID and drinking underage, there are also many consequences that students can encounter from the university. IU Division of Student Affairs Investigator Connie Cook says the range of consequences is extensive.\n"Each case is different," she says. "The punishments can vary from a warning to disciplinary probation."\nFake ID use is a common occurance in college towns like Bloomington, and liquor stores are well aware of the issue. Big Red Liquors requires all employees to attend a three-hour training session with the company's loss prevention officer. Employees use questioning guides and black lights when determining if someone is using false identification. Big Red Liquors Chief Operating Officer Wade Shanower says the store's policy requires employees to confiscate the fake ID. Last year, the store took about 100 IDs.\nJunior Anette Soto had her six-month-old fake ID taken away at Big Red Liquors. She had a fake ID for the same reasons as many other students.\n"There was nothing to do on the weekends," she says. \nShe did not suffer any legal consequences for having the ID, but she did lose a $100 investment: her fake. \nEven though fake IDs sometimes carry heavy financial costs, they are often easy to obtain. \n"A friend said he knew a friend, so the guy came and took my picture, asked me what I wanted on it, and he brought it back to me," Soto says. "He even drove to Bloomington, so it was pretty convenient."\nMaslin says it was also easy for him to create false identification. \n"I'm from New York, so all I had to do was use a colored pencil to become 21 on my driver's license," he says.\nSo what does the Bloomington social scene leave for bored, underage students? Going to the library on a Friday night? Studying for a chemistry test four weeks in advance? Most likely, students will continue trying to find ways to go out with their of-age friends. \nEven though both Maslin and Soto have suffered the consequences of being caught using fake IDs, they say they are still willing to run the risk again.\n"If I was younger (I would get another fake ID), but I'll be 21 in March and I don't want to pay for another one," Soto says. \nMaslin has no question about wanting another fake ID. Despite the high prices of the cards, his decision about getting another is simple: "In a heartbeat," he says.
