A second arrest has been made in the recent case involving two Fairfield students who were creating and distributing fake New York licenses, according to published reports.
Michaela Kehoe ’09 of Cleveland Heights, OH, surrendered to police after being informed there was a warrant for her arrest, according to a Connecticut Post article.
Kehoe was charged with first-degree forgery, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery and tampering with evidence.
She was released on a $1,000 bond, the article said.
Kehoe did not respond to multiple e-mails from The Mirror.
The first arrest in the case was that of Taras Kulynych ’09, who was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery, made on Jan. 28.
He was released on bond pending arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court.
Kehoe was the occupant of a room in Dolan Hall where officers began investigating the distribution of fraudulent identifications.
Public Safety was tipped off to Kehoe’s room after a smoke alarm was triggered by a candle left burning in the room in December 2007.
After arriving on the scene, Public Safety officers discovered a laminator, spray adhesive, a license cutter and six fake New York state driver licenses.
Associate Director of Public Safety Frank Ficko declined to answer specific questions on the case, citing matters of confidentiality while the case is pending.
“[The] Department of Public Safety acknowledges false identification issues,” said Ficko. “The guiding policy is the one set forth in the handbook, [that says] ‘ … the creation, manufacturing and/or distribution of false identification, whether or not for profit, is strictly prohibited and would be subject for dismissal.'”
Despite the recent crackdown on false identifications, many students said they still do not think the problem will ever be curbed.
“I don’t have one [fake ID] but a lot of my friends do,” said Kelly Griffin ’11. “Even if kids get caught, they can pull out their real license and probably get out of it.”
That was not the case for nine Fairfield students who were arrested for using fake licenses at the Snickering Squirrel in Bridgeport last Wednesday, according to another Connecticut Post article.
In a statement sent to all students via their StagWeb accounts, Dean of Students Thomas Pellegrino acknowledged the rampant use of false identifications among Fairfield students.
Pellegrino discussed how the use of these identifications not only compromises students’ academic priorities, but other facets of their lives as well.
“These students are using their identification to patronize bars on weekday – not weekend – evenings,” he said in the e-mail. “College campuses across the nation are now forced to ask what this phenomenon says about the primacy of learning on college campuses, not to mention the sufficiency of social and extracurricular offerings.”
But Fairfield is not the only school having problems combating the usage of false identification by underage students.
According to the Connecticut Post, four Sacred Heart University students were recently arrested at Club Azur, (formerly Clubhouse Cafe), in Bridgeport, for using false identification.
“As technology has improved, there has been a proliferation among college-aged students of fake IDs,” Larry Wielk, dean of students at Sacred Heart, told the Connecticut Post.
“Unfortunately, some of the local bars and package stores have not kept up with the technology or choose not to,” he said. “We [administrators of universities in the Fairfield area] have been working with local and state law enforcement as well as area bar owners to curb underage drinking at these establishments,” he said.
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