Indian River: Underage compliance checks result in five arrests.
With Indian River County Schools on Spring Break, School Resource Deputies used this opportunity to conduct underage compliance checks on businesses throughout the county. A sixteen year old, working in conjunction with the deputies, entered more than seventeen stores and attempted to purchase tobacco, and in one case a weapon. Deputies received a tip that Dragon’s Edge store, located in the Indian River Mall, was selling weapons to minors. The minor working with deputies was able to purchase a large dagger from Dragon’s Edge, resulting in the clerk being charged with sale of a weapon to a minor. Clerks at the following locations were charged with sale of tobacco to minors as a result of this operation:
•BP Gas Station – 2000 9th Street SW
•One Stop Shop – 8108 US Highway 1
•Chevron Gas Station – 9494 County Road 512
•Shell Gas Station – 975 27th Avenue SW
Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar stated, “These compliance checks are important to ensure that our children do not have access to tobacco, alcohol, and weapons. We conduct checks throughout the year and always find clerks who break the law despite our continued enforcement. If we can reduce the ways minors obtain illegal items, we improve the quality of life for everyone in our community.”
