Alcohol sales to minors targeted

6/30/2006

PORT CLINTON An 18-year-old male working under the supervision of Ottawa County sheriff s deputies was able to buy beer last week at seven of 14 establishments in the county that sell alcohol.

Those establishments were immediately given a notice of the violation and later received a formal warning in the mail from the sheriff, officials said.

As part of the county s Creative Alcohol Related Enforcement crackdown, officers plan to make more attempts to buy alcohol with the teen and will give warnings once more before beginning to cite owners for violations.

Sheriff Bob Bratton warned owners of bars and stores last month that sell alcohol that he would be using the juveniles to motivate owners and their employees to check identifications of young-looking customers.

Port Clinton police led the county last week with seven underage consumption citations last week. Marblehead police issued two operating a vehicle while intoxicated citations, three for underage consumption, and two open-container citations.

Five citations were handed out throughout the county last week for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, with two offenders also driving with suspended licenses.

Random checkpoints are still planned for later this summer to check driver sobriety.