16 county businesses caught selling liquor to minors

Sixteen Jeffco liquor providers were cited for providing alcohol to a minor in a recent large-scale sting operation, marking a significant increase in the percentage of stores cited over previous years.

Ten of the stores are in South Jeffco and include a mix of convenience stores, independent establishments and a grocery store.

As part of the yearly sting operation, underage sheriff’s cadets attempted to purchase beer without providing identification at 70 county businesses.

“(We) used underage individuals to go in and purchase beer,” sheriff’s spokesman Mark Techmeyer said. “We try to do these at least once a year. … We’ve had larger (amounts of citations), but this is certainly larger than the norm.”

Typically, liquor providers are about 85 percent compliant, Techmeyer said. During the recent sting on May 18 and 19 and June 2, only 77 percent of the businesses targeted were not cited with violations.

“We’re normally around six (citations), so it’s quite a jump,” Techmeyer said. “Our hope in this thing is to have 100 percent compliance.”

Though businesses that sell liquor face show-cause hearings before the county liquor board for alleged violations, individual employees face criminal charges.

“The person who conducted the transaction is charged with sale of alcohol to an underage person,” Techmeyer said. “The liquor-license holder is brought before the liquor board for a show-cause hearing.”

The resulting volume of hearings has clogged the liquor board’s agenda for the past two months. Numerous hearings have been postponed and rescheduled to shorten the queue at each meeting.

Despite the number of recent citations, the Sheriff’s Office would prefer to work supportively with local businesses to help reduce instances of alcohol sales to underage customers, Techmeyer said.

“We’d like to work with them,” he said. “Our goal isn’t to be busting retail stores for underage noncompliance.”

 

Contact Emile Hallez Williams at emile@evergreenco.com or 303-933-2233 ext. 22. 

For updates, check www.ColumbineCourier.com.

 

 

 

Establishment

Address

Precinct

Sunmart

18561 Highway 40

North

Genesee Wine & Spirits

25958 Genesee Trail Road

North

Coconuts

1153 Bergen Parkway

Mountain

Diamond Shamrock

14011 W. Quincy Ave.

South

Foothills Green Liquors

5500 S. Simms St.

South

Happy Hound Wine and Liquors

10181 S. Kipling Parkway

South

Kipling Place Liquors

5924 S. Kipling Parkway

South

7-11

8250 W. Coal Mine Ave.

South

Werner’s West Peakview Liquor

9083 W. Peakview Drive

South

7-11

12532 W. Ken Caryl Ave.

South

Old Vine Liquor

9956 W. Remington Place

South

Albertsons

8434 S. Kipling Parkway

South

Circle K

6798 W. Ottawa Ave.

South

Bradley

10800 Highway 73

Mountain

Safeway

27152 Conifer Road

Mountain

Fruit of the Vine Spirits & Wine

19423 N. Turkey Creek Road

Mountain