By Lori EhdeOut of 16 businesses in Rock County, only two failed a New Year’s Eve liquor sting that tested for selling to minors.Two convenience stores on South Highway 75 in Luverne, Casey’s and Shell South, failed the test, and charges are pending against those two employees.According to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, criminal justice majors volunteering from colleges in Worthington and Sioux Falls entered the Rock County businesses and attempted to buy alcohol.The clerks at Casey’s and Shell either didn’t ask for I.D. or sold to the minors knowing they were underage.Either way, investigator Jeff Wieneke said the point is that all buyers need to be checked for legal ages."That’s the message we’re telling them, if they don’t have an I.D., you don’t have to sell to them," he said."They know it’s going to happen, that we’re out there doing compliance checks. You want to tell your employees to check I.D.s. For any compliance check, our buyers will show I.D.s, and they don’t have to sell to them."Non-compliant businesses may also face civil penalties as a result of the sting. Under Luverne City Code, the stores are subject to licensing penalties that can include imposition of civil fines and suspension or revocation of liquor licenses.A year ago at this time, 21 Rock County businesses were tested and seven failed.
