Compliance Checks Conducted In Guymon

The Guymon Police Department and the Northwest Center for Behavioral Health worked together last week to conduct Compliance Checks on Alcohol Sales to Minors at many businesses here in Guymon.

Detective Cassidy Francis of the Guymon Police Department oversaw the compliance checks and handled the recording of evidence for the investigation.

“We had a 17 year old minor enter twenty four businesses and attempt to purchase alcohol and three of the businesses we checked did sell alcohol to that minor,” commented Detective Francis. “The minor showed his identification with his actual birthdate on it when he was asked for it by one of the three places that sold alcohol to him and after they looked at it they still sold it to him even though it clearly showed he was under the age of 21,” Detective Francis added. “The other two businesses that sold didn’t ask for any ID before selling to him”

The three locations that sold alcohol to the minor were Scottie’s Bar and Grill, New Dragon Restaurant, and Taste of China Super Buffet. The employees who sold to the minor were charged with the offense of Selling Low Point Beer to a Minor in violation of Guymon City Ordinance 3-202. They were Shelley George, Blanca Moreno, and Chen Shu Jin. The charge is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 and up to thirty days in jail.

“We have made it a routine practice to conduct these compliance checks periodically as part of our normal enforcement activity and although we hate that three places did sell to the minor; we are really pleased with the twenty-one other businesses that didn’t sell to the minor,” according to Chief of Police Eddie Adamson. “We really feel that these compliance checks have helped in combatting alcohol sales to minors and that is why we keep doing them and I really believe it is because we are keeping it on people’s minds and the businesses themselves are educating their employees more and putting things in place so they don’t sell to minors. When we first started doing regular compliance checks I believe about two out of three businesses sold to the minor and now that number is down tremendously to only three out of twenty four.”

Prior to sending the minor into the businesses an Age Perception Test was conducted with the minor to determine the perceived age of the minor to be. The perception test which was conducted using random individuals to look at the minor and indicate how old they perceived him to be, the test results indicated the perceived age was 17.9 years of age. “We aren’t out trying to use fake ID’s or having the minor lie to store employees about their age, or even use a minor that looks to be over 21 to try and get a business to sell them alcohol, we are using someone that is not only under 21 but also clearly looks to be under 21 and tells people he under twenty-one if they simply ask his age,” added Detective Francis.

Those charged in this investigation are scheduled for Guymon Municipal Court January 23rd 2012.