Arrests six clerks in countywide sting
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department announced on Aug. 1 that it had conducted “compliance checks” over a three-week period in May and arrested six clerks for selling alcohol to customers who were not yet 21 years old.
The sheriff said in a news release that undercover officers from the Narcotics Enforcement Unit conducted 73 spot checks on businesses that sell take-out liquor. The operation was funded by the Prevention Council of Putnam.
During the stings, an underage individual under the supervision of a law enforcement officer attempted to purchase alcohol without showing proof of age. The checks were conducted in each town and village in the county, the sheriff said.
The clerks who were arrested were charged with unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree and included an employee of Highland Wine and Liquor at 3182 Route 9. The other clerks worked for retail operations in Brewster and Patterson.
