Operation Targets Alcohol Sales To Minors
By Space Coast Daily // May 29, 2012
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputies and agents from the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco teamed up last Thursday in an operation targeting the unlawful sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 21.
The operation focused on businesses in the southern end of Brevard County.
With the end of the school year and summer approaching, the agencies felt the need to direct enforcement to prevent the illegal sales of alcohol to children.
Minors, with parental permission, were used as confidential informants and sent into various convenience stores, liquor stores, retail stores and bars to attempt to purchase liquor.
The confidential informants displayed identification with true dates of birth when it was requested that they provide identification.
Plain clothed deputies and agents were inside the store to observe the transaction. If the clerk sold the alcohol to the confidential informant, the confidential informant would leave the alcohol on the counter and the deputy would step in and make an arrest.
This operation was performed at 54 local stores throughout the south end of Brevard County.
Out of the 54 stores where attempts were made to purchase alcohol, 13 employees from 13 different stores sold to the underage confidential informant.
Each employee was charged with one count of one sale of alcohol to a person under the age of 21 in violation of Florida State Statue 562.11. They were each given a court date and notice to appear and released on their own recognizance.
The following persons were charged:
• Steven Drake, 47, at Outriggers, 4015 Main Street in Micco
• Megan Buckling, 22, at Treasure Coast Bar, 5135 US Hwy. 1 in Grant
• Ghulam Nabi, 60, at 7-11, 1199 Palm Bay Road in Palm Bay
• Colton Rockwell, 20, at 7-11, 800 Palm Bay Road in Palm Bay
• Whitney Mitchell, 26, at Circle K, 2290 Harris Avenue NE in Palm Bay
• Basant Jadunandan, 65, at R&D Food and Gas, 2480 Minton Road in West Melbourne
• Divyeshkvmar Patel, 36, at K&M Discount, 215 Fifth Avenue in Indialantic
• Cynthia Bucholtz, 22, at CVS, 100 N. Miramar Avenue in Indialantic
• Shawn McGrath, 28, at Shell Station, 2090 N. A1A in Indian Harbor Beach
• Peter Brooks, 21, at Racetrac at 4535 W. New Haven in West Melbourne
• Galan Ghanshyambhai Bhatt, 32, at Chevron, 4640 W. Eau Gallie Boulevard in Melbourne
• Amanda Miller, 28, at Chevron, 255 Ocean Boulevard in Satellite Beach
• Arvind Patel, 71, at K&D Discount, 1902 S. Orlando Avenue in Cocoa Beach
