Stores cited for youth alcohol sales

Published 2:05 pm Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In February, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted two Juvenile Underage Drinking Enforcement operations and participated in a third with the Bogalusa Police Department, according to WPSO Chief Deputy Mike Haley.

Haley said that numerous parish businesses were visited and an attempt was made by an underage customer to purchase alcohol at each location. Some businesses were visited more than once.

On 15 occasions, business clerks were willing to sell to the underage customer in violation of Louisiana law which requires identification and age verification for alcohol sales, Haley said. The clerk who sold alcohol to a minor was given a summons to appear in court.

The first enforcement operation, conducted by the WPSO, identified the following four businesses and store employees cited for selling alcohol to a minor:

  • PA Hilltop, 59269 Highway 10, Bogalusa, employee Kuldip Khurana.
  • Liberty Fuel Stop, 63298 Highway 10 E., Bogalusa, employee Renjeet Singh.
  • Texaco, 846 Ave. F, Bogalusa, employee Sonja Vaughan.
  • Fair City Chevron, 1800 Washington St., Franklinton, employee Jackie Walker.

During the same enforcement operation, numerous businesses complied with the law, reviewed identification, and refused to sell alcohol to a minor. Those compliant businesses were:

  • Hackley Hill, 31141 Sam Thomas Road, Franklinton.
  • Warnerton Quik Stop, 32011 Highway 25, Warnerton.
  • Bridge Store, 23488 Highway 430, Franklinton.
  • Market Max, 809 Washington St., Franklinton.
  • Valero, 1305 Washington St., Franklinton.
  • JOJO’s Stop, 1312 Washington St., Franklinton.
  • Stop 2, Stop & Save, 19597 Highway 21, Bogalusa.
  • Highway 10 One Stop, 58269 Highway 10 W., Bogalusa.
  • Thrifty Store (Green Store), 802 Sabine St., Bogalusa.
  • Chevron, 63227 Highway 10 E., Bogalusa.