WINONA, Minn. – Eleven liquor establishments made an illegal under-age sale to a police decoy in the latest check on compliance with terms of their city-issued liquor licenses. In all, 26 establishments were checked. Most passed. Those that failed were issued a fact sheet on license requirements but not formally cited. Police consider compliance checks more as educational than punitive, said Deputy Police Chief Jay Rasmussen. Making an illegal sale, police said, were:
> Discount Liquor, 1733 West Service Drive.
> East Side Bar, 851 E Wabasha Street.
> El Patron, 1415 W Service Drive.
> Fifth Street Liquor, 501 West Fifth Street.
> Mango’s, 408 U.S. Highway 14.
> Kwik Trip store, 375 Cottonwood Drive.
> Sammy’s Pizza, 126 West Second street.
> Signatures, 22852 County Road 17.
> Sinclair station, Mankato, 952 Mankato Avenue.
> VFW, 208 E 3rd Street.
> Zaza’s, 529 Huff Street.
None of the 26 establishments in the compliance check were included in a check conducted in July. A third check in coming weeks will mean all 73 places with liquor licenses will have been checked this year, Rasmussen said. The latest checks were between 4 and 8 p.m.
Passing grades
Receiving certificates of appreciation for compliance:
> Bub’s, 65 East Fourth Street.I
> Gabby’s 179 East Third Street.
> Hy-Vee grocery, 1475 West Service Drive.
> Kwik Trip store, 1058 Homer Road.
> Kwik Trip store, 770 East Broadway Street.
> Kwik Trip store, 1601 West Fifth Street.
> MGM Liquor, 850 Menard Road.
> Midtown Foods, 126 East Fifth street.
> Sinclair store, 1650West Service Drive.
> Sliced, 66 Center Street.
>Third Street Liquor, 157 East Third Street.
> Westgate Bowl, 1429 West Service Drive.
A 25th establishment was closed. A 26th’s bar was not open.
How the compliance checks worked
An underage volunteer, arranged by the local chapter of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, attempts to make a purchase.
> If asked for an age-confirming ID, the volunteer produces a personal driver license that shows age as under 21.
> If the volunteer os served, either a deputy sheriff or a city police officer, enter and issue a fact sheet about the law against serving anyone not yet 21.
> If the underage voluhteer was denied service, the officers issue a certificte of appreciation for compliance.