From Bill Lindelof:
An ongoing undercover operation by the Yolo County District Attorney's Office has resulted in two more store clerks being cited for selling tobacco to minors.
The operation over the weekend was conducted using minors as decoys. The young people, supervised by peace officers, entered stores and tried to buy cigarettes.
On Saturday evening three teen decoys entered the Road Trip Cafe in Capay and one of them asked to buy a pack of cigarettes. The clerk asked for identification and then sold the cigarettes to the teen despite the ID showing that the minor did not turn 18 until September 2010, a DA's office news release states.
Later that evening, decoys entered a Safeway in South Davis. At a customer-service desk one of the youths obtained a pack of cigarettes and was told to pay for them at a cash register.
The 16-year-old was allowed to buy the cigarettes at a register, and the clerk never asked for identification, the DA's office said.
"Despite our offer to give employers free copies of the DMV pamphlets on how to check identification, we are still seeing the same mistakes being made," said Daniel J. Stroski with the district attorney's office.
The clerks were issued citations and ordered to appear in Yolo Superior Court Nov. 4. If the clerks are found guilty they could receive a fine up to $200 and the stores may be prevented from selling tobacco for up to 30 days.
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