News

Sheriff's Office conducts liquor sting
Nine Gray-New Gloucester businesses sold liquor to underage buyer
By Elizabeth Prata

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) conducted a liquor sting on July 7. They conducted these alcohol compliance checks in District 2, comprised of Gray, New Gloucester, and North Yarmouth. The operation was conducted by Detective Down and Deputy Pettingill, using a 20-year-old citizen to attempt to make the purchases.

Stores checked included Gray Marketplace in Gray, Dry Mills Store, Gray, Cumberland Farms, Gray, Big Apple Portland Rd., Gray, Rite Aid, Gray, Puffin Stop, Gray, Buddy's Store, New Gloucester, Wing's Store, New Gloucester, Dead River Store, Gray, Cloutier's in New Gloucester and Big Apple Shell in Gray. Stores were closed in North Yarmouth at the time of the sting.

Only Cloutier's in New Gloucester and the Big Apple Shell in Gray complied with the liquor law regarding sales to minors.

Captain Royce Bartlett said, "We have a grave concern that minors in the area have such easy access to liquor. We have just started conducting the compliance checks, thanks to a Rural Underage Drinking grant earned from the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. The Liquor Control Commission will be receiving the referral paperwork from us and the stores will receive a summons. We will also be checking local stores again in the near future," Bartlett said.

The CCSO had also checked eleven stores in Westbrook in June, and Bartlett said, "Five purchases were made. In District One, Naples, Casco, Raymond area, we checked seven stores, and five purchases were made. These are high percentages, and they are of concern."

In addition to summonses the CCSO is hoping that publicity about the problem will also add awareness to the issue, Bartlett told The Monument.

Town	# checked	# illegal purchases	% failed
Westbrook	11	5	45%
Naples/Casco/Raymond	7	5	71%
Gray-NG/N. Yarmouth	11	9	82%
Cumberland County	38	20	53%