CENTRALIA — Three clerks received citations Wednesday after allegedly selling alcohol to minors during a local alcohol compliance check.
According to Centralia Police Chief Greg Dodson, seven local package retailers were checked and three retailers sold alcohol to the youth buyer, Lincoln Liquor Mart, Midtown Liquors and Circle K.
The clerks who sold the alcohol were issued citations for sale of Alcohol to a Minor and the retailers are being referred to the Centralia Liquor Control Commissioner for a determination of any action to be taken against the license holder.
The clerks issued citations for sale of alcohol to a minor include 43-year-old Helen Elizabeth Jackson, of Centralia; 33-year-old Kyra K Clark, of Farina; and 50-year-old Yogendrasinh M Dodiya {yo-jendra-sin m. doh-dee-yah}, of Centralia.
Dodson notes that with the Holiday season upon us, the Centralia Police Department will be stepping up efforts to ensure that retailers of alcohol are complying with Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA).
He says laws specify the legal age when an individual can purchase alcoholic beverages and the MLDA in the United States is 21 years of age.
The goal of the Centralia Police Department by enforcing MLDA laws, is to reduce high-risk behavior by minors and increase public safety.
Enforcement of MLDA laws are especially important during the holiday season when this type of behavior tends to spike.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drinking by those below the age of 21 is strongly associated with alcohol-impaired driving.
A Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students surveyed, during the past 30 days
- 6% drove after drinking alcohol.
- 17% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
Communities can enhance the effectiveness of age 21 MLDA laws by actively enforcing them.
- A Community Guide review conducted by the CDC found that enhanced enforcement of laws prohibiting alcohol sales to minors reduced the ability of youthful-looking decoys to purchase alcoholic beverages by a median of 42%