This charge carries a lot of consequences in San Diego. For an individual the fines are several thousand dollars. For a business, the fine can be even more, with the possibility of having issues with their alcohol license.
As a former prosecutor I can tell you there are a lot of these cases out there. Selling alcohol to a minor is very prevalent in San Diego. One reason for this is that more and more stores sell alcohol that traditionally do not sell alcohol. Stores like CVS and Rite Aid now is a go to location for alcohol. The employees at this store are not trained in license checking like a liquor store guy who is hawk eyeing you as soon as you walk in. At some of these stores the employee comes over from stocking because the actual clerk is missing and the customer is there waiting.
These are some of the most common San Diego selling to minor situations:
– Decoy asks someone outside of 7-11 if they can buy beer for them. They offer $20 for their trouble.
– Bouncer lets a group of girls in a Pacific Beach bar without checking ID. Bartender does not ask for ID and serves alcohol to them.
– Decoy heads into Rite Aid or CVS and tries to purchase alcohol. This is common at all these kind of stores near the colleges (especially the CVS near SDSU).
In most of these cases there is video. The best defense is to get to the issue of whether the individual knew what was fully going on.
In one case the clerk at a Rite Aid was ringing items up but had already called the actual clerk to open the drawer (who would of checked).
If you are charged with this case it is key to obtain representation that knows the ABC (alcohol beverage control) tactics and the rules that go with being a decoy.
Sheriff’s deputies worked with underage decoys Friday to enforce alcohol sales laws in five North County cities.
The operation involved five decoys and agents from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, in Encinitas, Vista, San Marcos, Poway, and Ramona.
The decoys tried to buy alcoholic beverages at 21 stores, and three of the businesses sold to them.
A second operation, called a “shoulder tap,” placed the decoys outside liquor stores to ask adults to purchase alcohol. Two adults were arrested.
In July, the Sheriff’s Department received a $100,000 grant from ABC to fight alcohol related crimes and educate licensed retailers in San Diego County.
The full article can be found here.
Hire a Proactive, affordable, and quality defense when you are facingSan Diego DUI charges. Whether you have been charged of a San Diego DUI, Poway DUI, La Mesa DUI, Santee DUI, Mission Valley DUI, Clairemont DUI, Point Loma DUI, La Jolla DUI, Carmel Valley DUI, Mira Mesa DUI, Pacific Beach DUI, Del Mar DUI, Carmel Valley DUI, Encinitas DUI, Oceanside DUI, Ocean Beach DUI, Escondido DUI, Vista DUI, San Marcos DUI, Carlsbad DUI, El Cajon DUI it is vital you need to hire an attorney who knows how to defend your rights and can determine if the government can prove their case. Contact the Law Office of Mark Deniznow for a free case evaluation at 858-751-4384 or send an email to [email protected].
