In an effort to decrease the dangers and consequences of alcohol purchased by minors in our county, The Coalition, Inc., funded in part by the Texas Department of Transportation, partnered with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) to conduct alcohol stings. Under the direct supervision of law enforcement officers, juveniles under the legal age to drink/purchase alcohol were used as decoys to enter businesses that are licensed to sell alcohol and then attempt to purchase alcohol.
“Underage drinking has unintended consequences for youth, such as increased risk for car crashes, sexual assault and long-term addiction. Local retailers must train their employees on the laws concerning the sale of alcohol to minors, and they should set an expectation among their staff to ask for ID and deny alcohol sales to anyone under the age of 21,” said Sharon Kruk, Executive Director of The Coalition. “Thank you to the businesses in our community that responsibly sell alcohol; your commitment to preventing underage drinking keeps the youth in our community safe.”
During the January and February minor sting operations, there was one store that sold to minors and 29 that 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:
- Walgreens, 102 N Timberland Drive;
- Uday #30, 612 W. Frank Avenue;
- Walgreens, 612 N. Frank Avenue;
- Zaks Food Mart, 1902 W. Frank Avenue;
- Lucky’s, 103 N. Timberland Drive;
- Big’s #3819, 103 N. John Redditt;
- Lucky’s #2, 3385 Ted Trout Drive;
- Brookshire Brothers #10, 5750 Ted Trout Drive;
- A2Z Food Mart #1, 904 S. John Redditt;
- Dollar General Store #22841, 2205 Old Union Road;
- Big’s #3814, 1004 S. John Redditt;
- Dollar General Store #10644, 2102 Southwood Drive;
- Super Mart, 702 Southwood Drive;
- Brookshire Brothers #25, 1807 W. Frank Avenue;
- Family Dollar Store #6227, 1891 W. Frank Avenue;
- JR Food Mart, 1114 E. Denman Avenue;
- On the Road #101, 1001 E. Denman Avenue;
- Pilot Travel Center, 1920 E Denman Avenue;
- Big’s #3820, 2400 E Denman Avenue;
- Dollar General Store #6268, 2422 E Denman Avenue;
- Family Dollar Store #9124, 2500 E. Denman Avenue;
- Uday #31, 6480 S US Hwy 69;
- Brookshire Brothers #52, 885 US Hwy 69 S;
- Tobacco Barn #52, 885 US Hwy 69 S;
- Dollar General, 790 Hwy 69 S, Huntington;
- Family Dollar, 593 Hwy 69 South, Huntington;
- Huntington Travel Center, 191 S US Hwy 69, Huntington;
- Homer Mini Mart, 7075 Hwy 69 S; and
- On the Road #102, 2909 E Denman Avenue.
One business did sell to minors and administrative action was taken against the individual who sold the alcohol:
- On the Road #125, 3049 State Highway 103 W.
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.
The Coalition, Inc. is funded in part by a grant from TxDOT to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes in Texas. 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. For more information on how to prevent underage drinking, contact The Coalition at 936-634-9308.
