A routine compliance check in Winter Haven has led to the arrest of a convenience store clerk for illegally selling alcohol to a minor. Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) deputies, continuing their Operation Pop Top initiative, arrested 39-year-old Ashley Hunt after she sold an alcoholic beverage to a 16-year-old undercover cadet on Thursday. Hunt, an employee at La La Food Mart located at 2600 Havendale Boulevard, now faces misdemeanor charges.
The PCSO's Operation Pop Top aims to ensure that retailers adhere to the laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to individuals under the age of 21. In this recent sting, deputies visited a total of six stores in the Winter Haven area, accompanied by a cadet from the Polk County Sheriff's Office’s Cadet Unit 1000 to covertly monitor the compliance of local vendors. Unfortunately, not all were found to be upholding the law—or specifically, not all chose to strictly verify the age of their customers before concluding a sale.
According to a statement by the PCSO, "Five of the six stores we checked on Thursday did the right thing, but that's not good enough. We need to be seeing 100% compliance each time we do this. These sales clerks and stores need to be checking IDs and refusing to sell alcoholic beverages to anyone under 21, as required by law." This statement underscores the strict zero-tolerance stance that law enforcement maintains for such violations.
Sheriff Grady Judd emphasized the importance of consistent law enforcement and unequivocal compliance. He recounted how all but one store managed to meet the legal standards, but stressed that anything less than full compliance was unacceptable. "Five of the six stores we checked on Thursday did the right thing, but that's not good enough," he told PCSO. "We need to expect to always see 100% compliance each time we do this." The arrest serves as a reminder that the PCSO remains vigilant against underage drinking and will continue to aggressively pursue those who undermine the efforts to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors.
While the majority of stores passed the surprise check, the arrest of Hunt at La La Food Mart is a firm reminder that the issue of underage alcohol sales continues to be a serious concern. The PCSO's ongoing efforts to educate and enforce the law are critical to maintaining community safety and ensuring that the law is respected by vendors and citizens alike.
