|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
As the result of a decoy operation, Mountain View police cited a CVS employee for selling alcohol to a minor earlier this month.
On April 10, the Mountain View Police Department collaborated with agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to have someone younger than 21 try to buy alcohol from five businesses, a Monday press release said. A clerk working at the CVS on the 800 block of California Street sold the minor alcohol and police issued a citation to the employee, police spokesperson Monica Leon told the Voice.
First time violations for selling to a minor carry a punishment of 24 to 32 hours of community service, as well as a minimum fine of $250, the press release said. Additionally, the Alcoholic Beverage Control agency could suspend or revoke the business’s alcoholic beverage license.
“Licensees should always check identification before selling alcohol,” Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Paul Tupy said in the press release. “Our roadways and communities see improved safety when we prevent access to people not old enough to legally purchase alcohol.”
The other four businesses included in Mountain View’s minor decoy operation were a 7-Eleven on California Street, CVS on West El Camino Real, Sav-More Food Store on Calderon Avenue and Pour Decisions Craft on Grant Road.
Data shows that the risk of car crashes is much higher for those ages 16-19 than for older drivers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This risk is only heightened when alcohol is involved. In 2020, 29% of drivers ages 15-20 who died in a motor vehicle crash had been drinking, the CDC reports.
