Three people were arrested in Lake Elsinore for allegedly providing alcohol to underage minors during a joint operation with agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
ABC agents and local law enforcement conducted the Shoulder Tap operation that targets adults who purchase alcohol for people less than 21 years of age on April 13.
According to a news release issued by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office on the incident, the program uses a “minor decoy” under the direct supervision of a police officer. The decoy stands outside a liquor or convenience store and asks patrons to buy them alcohol. The minor indicates in some way he or she is underage and cannot purchase the alcohol.
“If they agree to purchase alcohol for the minor, agents then arrest and cite them for furnishing alcohol to the minor decoy,” the news release explained.
The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service, the news release said, adding that the program is intended to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors who statistically have a higher rate of drunken driving crashes than adults.
“Shoulder Tap operations hold accountable those who furnish alcohol to minors,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “Keeping alcohol away from youth is a priority.”
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
