Novato Booze Sting Ensnares 1: Cops

NOVATO, CA — A person at a business ensnared in a booze sting Saturday was cited on suspicion of selling alcohol to a minor, the Novato Police Department said.

The state-funded operation allows a minor acting as a decoy under an officer’s supervision to enter businesses and provide store clerks with an underage ID. Clerks who sell alcohol to the minor are cited.

The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

The Decoy/Shoulder Tap operation is part of the state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project.

The program is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.