OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As summer comes to a close, several area law enforcement agencies carried out compliance checks to see if retailers would sell alcohol to minors. They say 4% of those checked failed and some of them were repeat offenders.
Project Extra Mile, a statewide organization with a goal of reducing alcohol-related harms, says 8 of 227 retail outlets were cited for selling alcohol to minors in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.
Project Extra Mile says the following businesses were cited:
- La Casa West Pacific Springs at 610 South 168th Street in Omaha
- Macdaros Pub & Pizzaria at 10746 South 204th Street in Gretna
- Margaritas at 4915 South 72nd Street in Omaha
- NP Mart at 5608 Ames Avenue in Omaha
- Planet Sub at 8990 West Center Road in Omaha
- Taqueria Los Compadres at 10904 Q Street in Omaha
- Therapy Bar & Grill at 5059 Sout 108th Street in Omaha
- Voodoo Taco at 21209 Nebraska Crossing Drive in Gretna
Three of the businesses are repeat offenders.
"Three businesses are facing enhanced penalties due to previous sale to minor convictions within the last four years. If found guilty, they will be facing mandatory days of closure (no alcohol sales allowed) as well as days of suspension that can be paid off as a fine at $100 per day according to the Liquor Control Commission's (LCC) penalty guidelines. "
The businesses include:
- N P Mart, 5608 Ames Avenue, Omaha (2/18, 11/18);
- Planet Sub, 8990 West Center Rd, Omaha (7/18);
- Voodoo Taco, 21209 Nebr. Crossing, Gretna (8/18).
They say NP Mart will face a mandatory closure and 20 days of suspension while Planet Sub and Voodoo Taco are looking at two days of closure and 40 days of suspension. The LCC still has the option to suspend, cancel or revoke liquor licenses for any violation of state liquor laws.
Project Extra Mile says the other five businesses, if convicted, would face lesser penalties of 10-20 days of suspension which could be paid off with a $50-a-day fine.
28 officers from Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Omaha Police department and the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office took part in the two-day operation. They say recent-tragic events are a reminder of why compliance checks are important.
"Good policies and heightened enforcement of underage drinking laws are absolutely critical in preventing alcohol-related harms among youth," said Project Extra Mile Executive Director Chris Wagner. "In the wake of underage drinking tragedies in Gretna and Elkhorn this past year, it's important to remember that adults in the community and our elected officials hold the keys to fixing this problem."
The checks were carried out last Friday and Saturday.
You can read the full report by clicking the following: Project Extra Mile Compliance Check Report
