The Kangaroo gas station on West Haggard Avenue was found in violation of alcohol sales laws after a countywide alcohol law compliance check. Lieutenant Lyle Anibal of the Town of Elon Police Department charged the store with a misdemeanor Thursday, which is currently pending through the Alcohol Law Enforcement division (ALE).
[quote]A safety officer accompanied the underage person into the store and witnessed the transaction. I wrote (the Kangaroo) a misdemeanor ticket and submitted it to the ALE. - Lieutenant Lyle Animal, Town of Elon Police Department[/quote]
The compliance checks, which are conducted periodically through the ALE and local sheriff and police departments, are covert and unannounced. Underage individuals employed and trained by the police enter targeted convenience and grocery stores and attempt to purchase alcohol. If asked for identification, the underage person produces their state-issued license showing their actual age. The store is charged with a violation if the sales clerk continues with the transaction.
Of 37 stores within the county that were checked, 12 were found in violation. The Kangaroo is the only store in Elon facing charges.
“We had three underage people with us during the checks, one 16 (-year-old) and two 17 (-year-olds),” Anibal said. “A safety officer accompanied the underage person into the store and witnessed the transaction. I wrote (the Kangaroo) a misdemeanor ticket and submitted it to the ALE.”
Alcohol law violations are a licensing issue, which must be processed at the state level, said Randy Jones, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson.
“Store employees can be charged independently too, depending on the details of the case,” he said.
The number of violations within the county is a cause for concern, said Karen Webb, coordinator of the Elon Community Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking, an organization that helped facilitate the latest checks.
“(The North Carolina) driver’s license, the graduated license, identifies an underage person with a red bar around the picture,” she said. “If you were a clerk and you saw a red bar, you’d think that’d be a red flag.”
Although the store may only face a fine, Webb said he hopes the store management will send its employees to alcohol sales training provided by the ALE and the Alcoholic Beverage Control commission.
“Stores have options,” she said. “They can go to meetings or participate in webinars. Our ultimate goal is for every store to be compliant and never sell alcohol to underage (people).”