Fake IDs still a concern for local businesses whether fake or 'borrowed'
College is a time infamous for heavy consumption of alcohol, but many students hit campus long before their 21st birthdays.
So how do they fill in the gap?
One Oxford sophomore uses a friend's driver's license to buy alcoholic beverages around town.
"It has the same height, but we don't even have the same colored eyes," he said, comparing himself to his "weekend ID."
Capt. Fred Harris of Central Michigan University Police said "novelty IDs" replicating an out-of-state driver's license have the picture and identity of its carrier, but often lack important markings. Some students try to use the ID of another Michigan resident to pass for 21. Both are a misdemeanor offense.
"Sometimes, we'll get in-state IDs that they'll get from a friend," Harris said. "They'll think they look alike, but they usually don't."
Mount Pleasant, like many college towns, has seen years of fraudulent ID use at bars and liquor stores throughout the city. For many underage drinkers, the only ticket into the bar is to find a friend with similar physical qualities or to purchase a novelty ID.
Dave Devine, owner of The Store, 218 S. Mission St., has seen many underage attempts to use fake IDs to buy alcohol. The Store has boxes filled with fake IDs that could not pass the test.
"The violations are severe, so if there is a question about an ID, we can't take it," Devine said. "We're just trying to do our jobs and avoid confrontation."
Confrontation can be hard to avoid when a fake ID is denied or confiscated from a student ready to begin the weekend, though most slink off.
"There's always one guy that's going to argue, but most people will turn red-faced and walk out," Devine said.
At O'Kelly's Sports Bar and Grille, 2000 S. Mission St., manager Mike Lang has seen many students try to use fake IDs at both the bar entrance and at the Wayside Central entrance. While most accept when they are caught, Lang said a few underage drinkers refuse to cut their losses.
"I've had someone who called the ID by the wrong name and her friends called her by the wrong name," Lang said. "She was still adamant that the ID was hers"
