A routine sting operation by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, dubbed Operation Pop Top, snagged a Circle K clerk in Lakeland for selling alcohol to an underage cadet—a mere 18 years old. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office official reports, the sting was part of a broader effort to clamp down on illegal alcohol sales to minors, which saw deputies canvassing ten stores in the area on Thursday.
In this latest round, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office enlisted an 18-year-old member of their Cadet Unit 1000, who served as the decoy for visits to the various establishments; 22-year-old Maria Juan was taken into custody after she transacted the sale of alcoholic beverage to the young cadet, while she worked at the Circle K located at 2385 Griffin Road Now facing misdemeanor charges for her actions, the incident serves as a warning to clerks and establishments to remain vigilant about checking IDs.
Sheriff Grady Judd expressed a zero-tolerance stance following the operation, as he lamented on the need for greater compliance. "90% of the stores we checked on Thursday did the right thing, but that's not good enough. We need to be seeing 100% 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," Judd stated, underscoring his disappointment that not all businesses are upholding the legal age limit, as stated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
