Sheriff's Office Conducts Alcohol Compliance Checks

On Tuesday June 30, 2020, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit conducted 15 covert compliance checks within St. Mary’s County. Two businesses were found to be non-compliant.

The clandestine component of the check used a male confidential informant under the age of 21 in an effort to increase retailer knowledge and enhance proactive efforts to prohibit the sale of alcohol to underage persons. The operational protocol was for the confidential informant to enter the alcohol licensed business with no identification on their person. The confidential informant retrieved an alcoholic beverage and placed it on the counter for purchase.

Thirteen business clerks requested identification from the underage informant and the sales were thwarted. However, two business clerks failed to ask for identification and the underage informant was successful in purchasing an alcoholic beverage.

The non-compliant businesses were HV Liquors in California and Lex Wine and Spirits in Lexington Park, and the two were charged with violation of the Maryland Code, Alcoholic Beverages Section 6-304: A license holder or employee of the license holder may not sell or provide alcoholic beverages to an individual under the age of 21 years.