UGA Police incident report

Fake ID possession lands two with felonies (w/incident report)

By: BRITTANY COFER

Posted: 11/6/08

Two University students were arrested and charged with two felony counts of possession of a fake ID early Wednesday morning.

According to the police report:

A University police officer saw Barbara Ellen Griffin, a freshman from Florence, S.C., and Lisa Gwyn Howard, a freshman from Nashville, Tenn., walking near Hull Street at 2:28 a.m. When one suddenly sat down on the ground, the officer became concerned and approached them to make sure medical assistance was not needed.

As Griffin and Howard continued across Baxter Street to the sidewalk beside Mell Hall, the officer wrote their stumbling became more pronounced. The officer asked the women if they were OK. They told him they were fine and were coming from a fraternity house on Lumpkin Street.

The officer smelled alcohol on their breath and asked for identification. When the officer confirmed both were under 21, they were charged with underage possession of alcohol.

During a search of Howard and Griffin's possessions, a total of four fraudulent IDs were found, two in each of the woman's possession.

"Typically there are two ways [fraudulent identification] can be charged," University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said in a phone interview Wednesday. "If someone has what's called a forged document, or if they have multiple counts [of fraudulent identification]," they face felony charges.

Because Griffin and Howard had two fake IDs each, they were charged with felony possession of fraudulent identification.

Attempts to reach Griffin and Howard for comment Wednesday afternoon were unsuccessful.