University of Georgia students who are not of legal age to drink alcohol understand that there will be some risk involved if they ever choose to go out to the bars with their friends who are 21 or older. Although getting caught drinking one beer at a bar may seem like a minor offense, the offense could carry far more serious consequences than what an underage student might have expected, especially if the student is caught using a fake ID.
A few days ago, a UGA student was arrested outside of Bourbon Street Bar after an officer reported that he witnessed another individual suspiciously handing over an identification card to the student. The Athens-Clarke County Police officer reported that when he addressed the student about the identification card, the student threw the ID and said it was not his.
The officer found the ID that was thrown by the student. The ID did not clear the police system and will be used as evidence in the case. The student showed the officer his real identification card that indicated that the student was not of legal age to drink alcohol. The officer placed the student under arrest after he allegedly detected alcohol on the underage student’s breath.
The UGA student is 19. He has been charged with possession of a fake ID and underage consumption.
Any conviction of a criminal offense will carry legal consequences, but UGA students convicted of repeat offenses for underage alcohol charges or possessing a fake ID could also be at risk of losing scholarships to attend the university or they could be kicked out of campus housing. For this reason, it is important that UGA students avoid any convictions in order to keep their records clean and to maintain their good standing with the university.
Source: The Red and Black, “CRIME NOTEBOOK: University student caught with passed-back ID outside Bourbon Street Bar,” Megan Ernst, Feb. 13, 2012