By CHARLES OWENS
BLUEFIELD — In hopes of preventing underage drinking, officials in Mercer County will be increasing their number of compliance checks between now and spring.
“If all goes well, we will go out every week for the next three months,” Greg Puckett, executive director of Community Connections, said. “That is the current plan. We will try for a minimum of 20 (stores) every single week. We don’t know where we will be from week to week. It could be Camp Creek or it could be Bluefield. We are just reminding all businesses that they need to card everyone. Don’t sell to a minor.”
Puckett said a sting operation conducted earlier this week at 26 different stores netted three violations after store clerks at the stores illegally sold alcohol to minors, Greg Puckett, executive director of Community Connections, said.
“We had 26 stores visited by two undercover youth,” Puckett said. “And we were again able to purchase at three stores.
Puckett said officials also are looking at expanded operations or patrols at area college campuses.
“We will be doing patrols on campus and we will be doing the possibility of party busts, or just additional enforcement in campus areas where campus-age youth congregate,” Puckett said. “We will do a lot more education, and things like that. We will be working with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program to do some additional enforcement and crackdown. Because of our rates — we are still designated as a high risk community — they (state officials) have agreed to come in and work and help reduce underage drinking in the community. It’s definitely a great thing to have. This is just another thing to have to help keep youth safe and protected. We will work with campus enforcement to crack down on public intoxication and those type of things. We are hoping to really focus on the binge drinker. What we have found with college students, you don’t have a two to three beer user, you often have a 10 to 12 beer user. You have someone who drinks in excess. So we want to curb down on binge drinking.”
Puckett said other concerns are Super Bowl and March Madness parties in the coming weeks which are times where young people may often attempt to purchase alcohol.
Puckett said posters and brochures provided by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers are on display at convenience stores across the region as a reminder that it is illegal to provide or sell alcohol to minors.’
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
