Eight stores busted in beer-buying operation
Eight local businesses sold beer to an underage operative during a recent undercover beer-buying sting conducted by the Warren County Sheriff?s Department.
?The agent was a male, 19-year-old who had his own identification with him which said UNDER 21 on it,? said Sheriff Jackie Matheny, noting the youth provided the license upon request. ?There were some clerks who saw the ID but still sold beer to the operative.?
The operation was conducted this past week on two separate nights in which the operative, with investigators waiting nearby, entered a total of 14 businesses in an attempt to buy beer.
?We had been getting several complaints about underage persons being able to buy beer around the county so we decided it was time to do an operation,? said Matheny.
The recent busts come about a year and a half after the city and county conducted a similar undercover operation which led to 22 businesses being cited.
Many of those who did check the teen?s ID but still sold beer said they miscalculated his age when doing the math.
The clerks who refused to sell beer all required identification.
?There was one place where the clerk looked at the ID and then told him to come back when he turned 21 and he?d sell him some beer then,? Matheny said, noting one store notorious for selling to minors years ago passed this test with flying colors.
Specifically, La Mexciana on New Smithville Highway, formerly known as Jose?s, which had been busted three times years ago and had even had its license revoked at one time, refused to sell beer to the operative.
?It appears they learned their lesson there and we?re glad to see that,? Matheny said, noting not all stores and restaurants in the county were checked, although there could be more undercover agents sent out in the near future.
Among those being issued citations as result of the operation are Brenda Lee Franklin at Jewel?s Market, Layton R. Herriman of Lee and Geri?s, Jessica Ann Horn of the Shell Station on Smithville Highway, Nancy E. Miley of Mark?s Market, LesLea Renea Osborne of Jacksboro Discount Tobacco, Kavitaben Babbai Patel of Quality Market, Heather Leigh Smith of Abyss Bar and Grill, and Chasity Dawn Stoner of Delores? Market.
All the clerks have been cited into court for the misdemeanor offense. Generally, those found guilty are fined, although in some rare instances, short jail sentences have be required.
The businesses themselves will face hearings before their respective beer boards after the criminal charges are finalized. Penalties have ranged from fines for those within McMinnville city limits to 90-day beer license suspensions for those outside the city limits. Punishment usually depends on whether the business has been caught in the past.