SPRINGFIELD – Three establishments were cited for selling alcohol to minors under 21 in the City of Charleston. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) conducted underage compliance checks on Wednesday, September 10, 2014.
In conjunction with the ILCC’s Back to School Program and Charleston Police Department, the ILCC conducted 19 compliance checks in Charleston, in Coles County. Three licensees were found non-compliant, two of which are facing their first offense. Four of the 19 establishments checked were past offenders, and thus on the list for routine follow-up compliance checks. Of these four, one was found non-compliant, making its citation the third offense in five years.
Nevertheless, 84 percent of the 19 licensees complied with Illinois liquor laws and refused to serve underage customers.
The following three establishments were cited for selling liquor to ILCC underage participants:
· East Side Package, 1724 Jackson Avenue
· El Rancherito, 819 Lincoln Avenue
· Friends & Co, 509 Van Buren Avenue
This report is a result of ongoing undercover and cooperative law enforcement operations conducted by Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) agents, local law enforcement officials and volunteers from high schools and colleges. The teams randomly visit liquor stores, restaurants and bars in communities around the state to check for ongoing compliance with state laws mandating that no liquor is sold to minors under the age of 21. ILCC agents also work with local and state law enforcement agents to focus on communities with a high incidence of underage liquor sales.
The ILCC Back to School program focuses on areas where there is a concentration of college and high school students. As September brings more students to the area, liquor licensees must be more aware of the importance of abiding by the underage compliance law prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors under 21 years of age.
For information about hearings regarding checks, please visit: the Illinois Liquor Control Commission’s website. The next scheduled ILCC hearing is Wednesday, September 17, 2014, in Rockford.