BLOOMINGTON - State excise police are investigating the bar a missing IU student was at before she disappeared last week.
Officers visited Kilroy's Sports Bar Wednesday, trying to determine how 20-year-old Lauren Spierer was allowed in the bar.
"If she had ID, what was the quality of the ID used? Was she served any alcoholic beverages? If so, how many? Was she potentially intoxicated at the time?" said Ofc. Travis Thickstun, Indiana State Excise Police.
Bloomington Police are also trying to figure out if Spierer was intoxicated and if that played any role in her disappearance.
"We do see that sometimes alcohol plays a part in people being victimized, but that's a very general statement and that's about the best I can do on that," said Lt. Bill Parker, Bloomington Police.
Indiana University is well-known for its academics, but it's also gained a reputation as a party school. It's even been ranked nationally as a place where students have a good time. Both Princeton Review and Playboy magazine have listed the school as one of the top ten party schools in the country.
"Bloomington is one of the highest activity counties for our officers," Thickstun said.
The Little 500, an annual rite of passage for IU students, is known for bicycle racing and underage drinking. This year, 167 citations were issued, up from 158 last year and 157 in 2009, most for underage drinking.
"Especially for false ID. We are, in Bloomington, at the very highest in number of tickets issued for false IDs," Thickstun said.
"Alcohol is an issue on every college campus in the country. We do work at it every day through education, prevention and intervention programs, when students are underage or drinking to excess," said Harold Goldsmith, IU Dean of Students.
Friends told police Spierer had been drinking the night before and the morning she disappeared. Whether that was a factor may not be clear until she is found.
