Law enforcement helps bars with spotting underage drinkers' fake IDs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People drinking with fake identification in Charlotte is a growing and dangerous problem, alcohol law enforcement officers told Channel 9.

Police said Chandler Kania, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student, was underage when he drank using a fake ID, then caused a crash that killed two Charlotte women and a little girl.

Authorities are especially worried about the problem because local colleges are back in session.

When Channel 9 stopped by Duckworth's Bar and Grille in Huntersville on Tuesday, the staff wasn't learning the menu.

They were getting schooled in how to spot fake IDs.

Alcohol Beverage Control officers said the crime is skyrocketing in Charlotte.

Chief Mike Crowley showed Eyewitness News some of the thousands of fakes that officers have confiscated.

He said many people order licenses online.

Eyewitness News found several websites selling fakes for several different states.

One site was even advertising a sale.

"They're very hard to detect, even for law enforcement," Crowley said.

Crowley said the crime is most prevalent in Uptown, an area with a high concentration of bars, so officers are teaching servers the signs.

"We want to tell the people on the front lines looking at these IDs to give them the tricks of the trade, the things we know," Crowley said.

Officers said South Carolina fakes are common in Charlotte, and they're warning servers to watch out.

"Every driver's license in South Carolina begins with a zero or a one," Crowley said.  "If it begins with any other number, it's a fake."

Dustin Crouse, who has been waiting tables for two years, told Channel 9 that his job and other drivers' safety isn't worth risking.

"I'm not willing to jeopardize all of it for you to have a drink if you're not old enough," Crouse said.

Kania will be back in court at the end of the month to face murder charges.

The family of one of the Charlotte victims is suing Kania and two Chapel Hill bars that served him alcohol.

WSOC