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20 county stores fail alcohol checks

Published 12:00am Thursday, December 19, 2002

&uot;On one hand, we’re encouraged that the number is down,&uot; said Lt. Mike Boen of the Sheriff’s Office. &uot;On the other hand, we’re disappointed because we made an effort to train them and we told them we were doing the checks.&uot; The identities of the businesses that failed the checks will not be released until the investigation into the cases is complete, said County Attorney Dave Hauser. There could be civil penalties for the license holder of the establishment and criminal penalties for those who actually sold the liquor to the undercover operatives, he said. The criminal penalty would be a gross misdemeanor. The civil penalty would be a fine up to $2,000 and a potential loss of license. If the business had participated in the &uot;Best Practices Program&uot; training, the fine would be reduced. Hauser will make a determination on civil and criminal penalties after reviewing the Sheriff Office’s reports. The Alcohol Compliance Checks were conducted as part of a Youth Risk Behavior Education Program, funded by a grant directed at curbing the ability of minors to purchase alcohol and tobacco in Otter Tail County. The Minnesota Department of Public Health provided the funds for the program through a grant awarded to the Sheriff’s Department earlier this year. In an advanced effort to work with alcohol establishments, the Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney’s Office offered training to the businesses and their employees. The training was aimed at helping the businesses understand the consequences of selling alcohol to minors by explaining the statutes that govern them as well as the civil liabilities that can be brought against them. The training was also aimed at helping them recognize some of the false identifications and excuses minors sometimes use in obtaining illegal alcohol. For more information concerning this program and its training opportunities, contact either Sgt. Brian Fox or Deputy Darren Kunz from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office or David Hauser from the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office.