FILLMORE : Sale of Alcohol to Minors Targeted

Reacting partly to a drunk-driving accident that killed a Fillmore high school student on graduation night, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will assign cadets next month to pose as customers to crack down on local retailers who sell alcoholic beverages to minors.

Retailers will be sent notices about the program this month. The program was approved by the Fillmore City Council earlier this week.

Selling alcohol to minors is a misdemeanor, and fines or jail sentences are set by a judge in each case.

Stan Griffeth, district administrator for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in Santa Barbara, said the agency adds its own disciplinary action to court-ordered penalties.

A first offense can produce fines ranging from $300 to $1,500, and in some cases the retailer’s liquor license may be suspended for up to 15 days. Fines and suspensions increase with repeated violations during any three-year period, and the licenses may be revoked in extreme cases, he said.

Sheriff’s Lt. Richard Purnell said the program was prompted in part by a group of local school administrators and civic leaders who study drug and alcohol problems among Fillmore youths.

A drunk-driving accident that led to the June 15 death of James Anderson just hours after his high school graduation underscored the need for the alcohol enforcement program, Purnell said.