Nine of 30 Lincoln County businesses failed alcohol compliance checks the afternoon of Friday, April 22.
Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies conducted the checks of licensed off-premise retailers throughout the county. The checks were funded by a state grant intended to enforce underage drinking laws and reduce minors’ access to alcohol.
These checks were last conducted in December 2014. The focus of this round of checks was to check those off-premise retailers that were not checked during the previous round, as well as those that failed the previous checks.
Nine retailers failed during this round of compliance checks when they sold alcohol to a minor and allowed them to leave their business with the product.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will spend the next several days contacting all the retailers that were subject to these checks.
In most cases, the goal of the sheriff’s office will be to provide training and suggestions on policy changes to avoid future failed checks. During these most recent checks, some retailers failed that had also failed in 2014. It is expected that these retailers will face administrative action by the state in addition to any training or policy changes they may agree to make.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has plans for future compliance checks for both on- and off-premise retailers of alcohol with the goal of reducing minors’ access to alcohol and enforcing Maine’s liquor laws.
