State-Journal.com - Alcohol snoop turns up 1 citation

With a friendly smile and a sympathetic shrug, the Kroger cashier refused to sell a six-pack of Coors Light to the 18-year-old working as an undercover Alcoholic Beverage Control investigative aide.

She pretended to search for her wallet by patting down her rear pants pocket but it didn’t sway the clerk on the east side – he grabbed the beer and put it behind the counter. Unsuccessful in her attempt to illegally buy beer, the investigative aide walked away.

That scene was repeated 10 more times at restaurants, package liquor stores and convenience stores on the east side of Frankfort Friday.

She was only able to buy a Sparks energy drink, which contains alcohol, at the Five Star Food Mart on Versailles Road. A clerk was handed a citation on the spot.

In order to maintain the integrity of the compliance check program, ABC officials asked The State Journal to withhold the names and physical description of the under age aide and the two investigators working with her.

The 18-year-old aide studies criminal justice in Louisville and one day hopes to become a judge. She works several other jobs, but said being an ABC investigative aide is her favorite.

“It’s top secret,” she said. “I like that kind of stuff.”

The aides must have a clean record -– “we recruit good kids,” said investigator manager Josh Crain.

This compliance check was the second part of a sweep of licensed alcohol retailers in Frankfort. A team checked a dozen stores in west Frankfort and two illegal purchases were reported.

Any clerks who sell to the aides are cited for violating the liquor retail sales regulations, which forbid selling to those under 21. They could face up to a $250 fine and 30 days in jail if convicted in Franklin District Court. The licensee also faces a hearing at the ABC board but most cases are settled before that point, Crain said.

The licensee typically faces a fine of $1,200 to $1,800 for a first offense or faces possible license revocation for repeat offenses.

Compliance in Franklin County varies greatly, Crain said. In June, a compliance sweep found 13 percent of the retailers tested sold to minors. In 2008 the compliance rate was 100 percent but in 2007 it had only been 64 percent.

The statewide average is 92 percent compliance, which shows retailers are aware of the risk and accountability for being caught, Crain said.

“We don’t want to catch 10 people in 10 locations,” he said. “We want to say they were in compliance.”

If a violation is reported, there’s a variety of evidence to backup the citation, according to an active field investigator who asked to remain anonymous. The investigators collect physical evidence and take statements from the underage aide.

The investigative aides are recruited through the ABC board’s Web site and are paid for their work. Aides are also used to make compliance checks for tobacco retailers.