With funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), The Coalition Inc. recently partnered with the Corrigan Police Department and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to conduct minor alcohol stings in an effort to decrease the consequences of alcohol purchased by minors. 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.
During the May minor sting operations, eight Corrigan retailers were visited and none of them sold alcohol to minors. These included: Hughes Truck Stop at 1005 N. Home St., Uday #11 at 619 N. Home St., Family Dollar #28490 at 303 S. Home St., Shopperstop at 806 S. Home St., Stripes #5275/7-Eleven #41037 at 702 S. Home St., Brookshire Brothers #24 at 100 S. Home St., Corrigan One Stop at 2901 E. 2nd St. and Lucky Food Mart at 100 N. Home St.
“We commend those stores who did not sell alcohol to minors and recognize them for helping to combat underage drinking,” Sharon Kruk, Executive Director of The Coalition Inc., said.
“Businesses in our community have a responsibility to ensure that minors under the age of 21 are not able to purchase alcohol in their stores. We know that youth who drink alcohol are more likely to suffer tragic consequences, such as alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related traffic crashes,” Kruk said. “The goal is to keep youth in our community safe from the harmful effects of underage alcohol use, and we are proud to partner with the Corrigan Police Department, TABC and TxDOT to work towards that goal.”
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 the 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 alcoholic 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 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.
