Liquor Store Closed for Selling to Minors

A liquor store that officials alleged had sold alcohol and cigarettes to minors has been shut down by the City Council. Officials said they could not recall the last time such action had been taken.

Meeting in special session, the council voted unanimously to revoke a conditional-use permit for Warner Liquor, 9555 Warner Ave. Such a license allows businesses to operate within city limits.

“People came forward and said this was a place known at the high schools, and if you were a minor and wanted to buy liquor, this was the place,” Councilman John J. Collins said.

The business was ordered to close by Tuesday, Collins said.

Store owner Mohssen Sammy Mankruoss, who purchased the business in 1992, could not be reached for comment.

“There were at least 10 different counts of selling liquor to minors,” Councilman James D. Petrikin said. “He didn’t show any sense of even having read his conditional-use permit.”

City officials produced documents from the Fountain Valley Police Department and state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department alleging repeated liquor sales to minors--often during sting operations observed by law enforcement.

In September 1995, Mankruoss pleaded guilty in Municipal Court in Westminster to selling alcohol to a shopper younger than 21 and was fined, documents state.

Other violations alleged by the city included improper placement of adult magazines, staying open past 11 p.m. and disregarding sign codes.

The city’s stance on the issue is the toughest that the council has taken against a business in at least 10 years, officials said.

“We’ve slapped some wrists before,” Petrikin said. “But I’ve never seen such blatant disregard for a conditional-use permit.”