Twelve of the 21 businesses visited during an alcohol compliance check last week, served alcohol to a minor, making Friday's operation the largest failure since the compliance checks were reinstated five years ago, an official said Tuesday.
"To have 12 failures, it was really kind of a shock to us all," said Carson City Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ray Saylo.
Special Operations Sgt. Brian Humphrey said that two 18-year-old decoys, a boy and a girl, went together into businesses throughout Carson City and ordered alcohol.
Nine times they were turned away, but 12 times " including a few instances in which the servers looked at the teens' actual driver's licenses that listed their birth date in 1990 " the teens were served alcohol, said Deputy Sal Acosta.
Servers at the following businesses were each given a $632 ticket and the liquor-license holder also will be fined an additional $100 by Carson City Code Enforcement:
- Carson Station, 900 S. Carson St.
- Arco Gas Station, 4340 S. Carson St.
- Country Store, 3389 Highway 50 E.
- 7-Eleven, 3083 Highway 50 E.
- 7-Eleven, 3701 N. Carson St.
- Gas-N-Save, 1360 S. Carson St.
- Woody's Diner, 4385 S. Carson St.
- Ormsby Club, 600 S. Curry St.
- D'Vine Wine & Bistro, 200 N. Stewart St.
- AM-PM, 2707 Highway 50 E.
- AM-PM, 4190 S. Carson St.
- AM-PM, 720 S. Carson St.
Friday's check was the second time in six months that the same clerk at the 7-Eleven on Highway 50 East and Airport Road was cited for serving the same male decoy, Acosta said.
Because it was the second offense at that location, the license holder will be fined
$500. A third offense, and the licensee is fined $1,500 and could lose his license, according to Humphrey.
"My concern is that these businesses aren't taking these checks seriously," said Humphrey.
"People were just not paying attention," said Acosta.
- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.