In an effort to decrease the consequences of alcohol purchased by minors, The Coalition, Inc. partnered with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) to conduct alcohol stings, with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. Under the direct supervision of law enforcement officers, juveniles under the legal age to drink/purchase alcohol are used as decoys to enter businesses that are licensed to sell alcohol and then attempt to purchase alcohol.
“Controlled alcohol buys help protect our youth from the dangers of underage drinking. Local retailers have the responsibility to train their employees on the laws concerning the sale of alcohol to minors. Even more importantly, retailers must set the expectation among their staff to always ask for IDs and to deny alcohol sales to anyone under age 21,” said Sharon Kruk, executive director of The Coalition, Inc. “The unintended consequences of underage drinking, such as car crashes and increased risk for long-term addiction, can be prevented when our community works together to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.”
During the March and April minor sting operations, one store sold to minors and 26 did not. We commend those stores that did not sell alcohol to minors in our community and recognize them for helping to combat underage drinking:
Big’s #3819, 103 North John Redditt Drive;
Family Dollar General #32452, 5104 Ted Trout Drive;
Brookshire Brothers Express #114, 6564 Ted Trout Drive;
Adeel’s #2, 125 South FM 1194;
Lucky’s #2, 3385 Ted Trout Drive;
Lucky’s, 1707 North John Redditt Drive;
West Loop Chevron, 904 South John Redditt Drive;
Dollar General Store #22841, 2205 Old Union Road;
Big’s #3814, 1004 South John Redditt Drive;
Big’s #3806, 1902 West Frank Street;
Brookshire Brothers #25, 1807 West Frank Avenue;
Family Dollar Store #6227, 1891 West Frank Avenue;
Brookshire Brothers #110, 5750 Ted Trout Drive;
CVS/Pharmacy #6827, 923 West Frank Street;
Walgreens #05792, 102 North Timberland Drive;
Gas N Go #1, 401 North Timberland Drive;
In N Out Daiquiri, 500 North Timberland Drive;
Chevron, 804 North Timberland Drive;
Big’s #3807, 1910 North Timberland Drive;
La Michoacana Meat Market, 416 Atkinson Drive;
Family Dollar Store #6064, 419 North Timberland Drive;
HEB Food Store #617, 111 North Timberland Drive;
Walgreens #12601, 102 North Timberland Drive;
Pelican Pointe, 1302 North John Redditt Drive;
Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp, 3102 South John Redditt Drive; and
Texas Roadhouse, 4500 South Medford Drive.
One business sold to a minor during the March stings and a second follow-up sting was done in April. During the second minor alcohol sting, the business did not sell to the minor. We commend this business for training their employees and following up on the policies regarding the sales of alcohol:
Food Mart, 612 W. Frank Avenue.
Sale of alcohol to a minor is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $4,000, confinement up to a year in jail, or both. Persons 21 or older can be held liable for damages caused by intoxication of a minor under 18 if the adult knowingly provided alcoholic beverages to a minor or knowingly allowed the minor to be served or provided alcohol beverages on the premises owned by or leased by the adult.
Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes and behaviors, all in an effort to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. The Coalition receives funding from the Texas Department of Transportation to prevent underage drinking; for more information on how to help, contact The Coalition at 936-634-9308.