Beer bust to cost clerks $940 per infraction
Selling beer to an undercover agent will cost store clerks $940 per infraction as most of the accused offenders caught during a county-wide sting entered guilty pleas Tuesday morning.
The defendants, mostly clerks with a few store owners also among the accused, appeared before General Sessions Judge Larry Ross to answer charges of illegal beer sales to minors.
The suspects were all in court on summonses for allegedly selling alcohol to a 20-year-old undercover operative during a joint city-county beer buying operation conducted over the past couple of weeks. It was the second such operation in just over a year, with the number of businesses selling to the agent this year almost tripling from last year when eight were caught.
A total of 22 businesses were nabbed. The stores and restaurants will face civil action against their beer licenses once all the criminal cases are settled.
The pleas came as 15 of the 17 suspects appeared for arraignment on the misdemeanor charges. There are still a handful of suspects yet to be located and served with their summonses.
In 15 of the cases, plea agreements were reached with the defendants agreeing to pay $750 plus court costs and to serve six months on probation. The fine, with court costs, figures out to $940. The penalties were doubled for those selling twice to the operative.
Included in those paying double fines ($1,500 plus costs) were Gloria Atnip, Christopher Cope, Wanda Myers, and Johnny K. Perry.
Entering pleas to one count ($750 plus costs) were Wanda S. Cagle, Michael Draht, Shelly Lawrence, David Louallen, Mitzi McClure, Crystal Moody, Sherry Morris, Mildred Owens, Vickie Scott, Lisa Tiendell and Jorge Zamrbano.
One defendant, Cynthia Hughes, opted to have her case go to trial. Her case will be heard Sept. 20. One other case, Willard Drake, has been re-scheduled for tomorrow. The remainder of the defendants will be brought before the court once they are served.
Several of the clerks who entered pleas Tuesday were granted a judicial diversion, meaning their convictions will be erased from their record if they successfully complete their probation without another brush with the law.