Grocery Store, Restaurant Accused Of Selling Alcohol To Teens
RIVERSIDE (CBS) — An undercover sting resulted in the citation of a supermarket and restaurant in Riverside for the alleged sale of alcoholic beverages to minors, authorities said Wednesday.
Riverside Police Tuesday conducted a four-hour decoy operation on 14 randomly-selected businesses to check whether they were conforming to the law. Businesses that sell alcohol must check for valid IDs before selling it to anyone who appears younger than 21.
Officers send a person under 21 years of age into each of the establishments to ask for beer, according to Lt. Bob Williams,
All but two of the businesses checked verified the decoy's age before proceeding to close the sale. But two were cited by police -- Ralphs Market at 6155 Magnolia Avenue and Cafe Sevilla at 3252 Mission Inn Boulevard.
Police issued misdemeanor citations to the employees, who allegedly sold the alcohol, according to the lieutenant. They will face up to $3,800 in fines and 36 months probation if convicted.
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is expected to impose administrative penalties that could include revocation of the establishments' liquor licenses, Williams said.
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