Six Cape Girardeau clerks cited for selling alcohol to minors

Roughly one-fifth of the Cape Girardeau gas stations and other businesses canvassed during a routine alcohol compliance check Sunday had employees receive summonses for supplying alcohol to minors.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department sent minors into 33 area businesses to try to purchase alcohol. Six attempts proved successful as minors were able to buy alcohol at businesses scattered throughout the city, police spokesman Darin Hickey said. Every Cape Girardeau gas station was checked that night, along with select bars and other businesses.

The number of summonses issued Monday was normal, Hickey said. Six to eight summonses are issued in the quarterly checks.

Amy E. McCallister at Bi-State's South Sprigg Street location, Discount Smoke Shop employee Andrew Jackson, Amerimart employee Chastity Franks, Food Giant employee Toby Warren, Quick N Save employee Ann Tucker and Michael Wulf, an employee at the Philips 66 at 3276 William St., all received summonses. Under Missouri law, selling alcohol to someone under 21 years old is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison.

Bi-State store manager Kerensa Beasley said the registers at her store will verify ages as long as they are entered during the purchase of alcohol or tobacco. When McCallister rang up the minor's alcohol purchase, she checked the person's driver's license and did not enter the age into the register, Beasley said.

McCallister still works at the convenience store.

"She did part of the job correctly but not all of it," Beasley said. "She was coached on that."

Beasley said all the store's employees must go to state-funded alcohol training. Once she was issued a summons, McCallister called the officer to see what she could do to ensure it would never happen again, Beasley said, noting that McCallister will attend another class on alcohol sales.

Beasley said she hopes her employees will use the resources available to them to ensure they're not breaking the law the next time there's a customer who doesn't look quite of age.

"If you do what the register is designed to do and let the computer do the work, you'll be fine," she said. "It's really cut and dry."

A message left at Discount Smoke Shop's St. Louis headquarters was not returned Thursday. A message left with Amerimart's general manager was not returned Thursday. Calls to Quick N Save's headquarters were not answered or returned. Managers at Food Giant and Philips 66 declined to give their names or comment.

City manager Scott Meyer said there is no prescribed number of violations that can force a business to lose its liquor license, but the violations are taken into consideration and a license can be revoked when the city feels there have been too many infractions. Under new city council policy, Meyer determines whether a business receives a liquor license, though a denial can be appealed to the council.

"We won't set a number for violations because different places deal with different volumes of customers," Meyer said, noting that he is unsure how many businesses have lost their liquor license in the past five years.

Police employ volunteer minors for the checks, Hickey said. Often, the department's interns or local criminal justice students will volunteer looking for experience.

"It's normally kids we know," Hickey said. "We run a pretty rigid test to ensure they're safe."

Police keep tabs on what the children are wearing and how much they spend while at a business. Officers remain in their cruisers nearby while minors attempt the sale to ensure safety, Hickey said.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

612 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO

340 S. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO

865 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO

1120 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO

2861 Themis St., Cape Girardeau, MO

3276 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO