CATHEDRAL CITY – A 21-year old was arrested this week for selling alcohol to a minor, according to Cathedral City Police Commander Paul Herrera.

DHS Woman Arrested for Selling to a Minor

Eva Angelina Acevedo

The Cathedral City Police Department Special Operation Section along with Agents of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) arrested Eva Angelina Acevedo of Desert Hot Springs on May 22.

The actions were the result of a minor decoy operation in which minors under the direct supervision of department agents, attempted to purchase alcohol from several retail licensees in the City of Cathedral City.

Acevedo was arrested after completing the act of selling to a minor while working in the capacity of a clerk at the Chevron located at 22600 Palm Dr. Acevedo was issued a notice to appear, cited and released in the field.

It is at least the second time this year. In February, A 35-year-old Palm Springs woman was arrested after selling alcohol to a minor while working as a clerk at the Mobil located at 34021 Date Palm Drive, according to Herrera.

Those who sell to minors face a minimum fine of $250, and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation.  In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to a minor.  That may include a fine, a suspension of the license, or the permanent revocation of the license.

ABC is conducting the compliance checks statewide to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors.  Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunken driving fatalities than the general adult population.

Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980’s.  When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 to 50 percent.  When conducted on a routine basis, the rate has dropped in some cities as low as 10 percent or even below.

In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that use of underage decoys is a valid tool of law enforcement to ensure that licensees are complying with the law.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) through the department’s Grant Assistance Program.

ABC is a Department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

 

Image Sources

  • Eva Angelina Acevedo: Cathedral City Police Department
  • Beer: Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay