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Friday's Internet Edition, November 21, 2008.
Galt teens robbed at knifepoint
ABC sting nabs 12 for underage alcohol sales
By Rachael Ackerman
Herald Editor
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Outnumbered two to one, a group of Galt teens surrendered their wallets and cell phones to a group of Hispanic adults who robbed them at knifepoint on Saturday.
The incident was reported to police just past 11 p.m. on Saturday. That’s when three Galt teens reported walking home along the bike trail at Carillion Boulevard and Walnut Avenue, near Galt Community Park, at around 11 p.m., when they were confronted.
The trio told police that a white sport utility vehicle first passed them, then made a u-turn and headed back down the street toward them. When the vehicle stopped, the teens reported that five to six Hispanic adults between the ages of 18-20 jumped out of the vehicle. According to the victims, one of the men brandished a knife and threatened the teens if they did not give up any valuables they were carrying.
At this point, according to Galt police, one of the three Galt teens took off running, escaping, while the other two said they were too scared to run and gave up their valuables.
The teens were robbed of their wallets and cell phones. One teen reported being punched in the arm, but there were no reported injuries.
In other Galt police news, officers took full advantage of a $20,000 Alcohol and Beverage Control grant in Galt, effecting an under age alcohol buy/sell sting operation in conjunction with ABC officers that has yielded 12 arrests/citations.
“This runs as a decoy program where attempts to have underage decoys either buy alcohol at licensed establishments, or have our decoys attempt to have other adults purchase alcohol for them,” said Sgt. Craig Walton of the Galt Police Department. “We had two teams, with two decoys each, who had to go to attempt seven different buys each.”
According to Walton, each team had to attempt to both buy alcohol at a store or a restaurant, and had to attempt a “shoulder tap buy,” where the decoy approaches a shopper, identifies themselves as underage and asks the individual to purchase them some alcohol.
“The consequences of either buying alcohol for a minor, or selling to a minor are very real. The basic consequences, provided nothing happens, no one gets sick or dies, is financial and possible jail time,” said Walton. “The real consequences of giving alcohol to a minor are, when they get in a crash and kill someone or die, you become responsible for that act.”
Ongoing since January of this year, Walton said the operation had yielded 12 instances where adults were cited for either selling alcohol, such as a waiter or cashier, or falling for a shoulder tap. One individual was arrested as a result of warrant information discovered after the initial police contact.
“The only time a person is physically taken into custody is if we can’t identify them, or they have other issues,” said Walton.
While not placed under arrest and booked into jail, the consequences of getting caught up in a buy/sell sting to minors can be just as painful.
According to Walton, those busted for buying alcohol for minors the first time can face up to a $1,000 fine or a year in jail. Subsequent busts lead to increased penalties.
For an establishment caught selling alcohol to minors, two things can happen. First, the individual caught selling the alcohol gets cited and fined. Next, the establishment gets reported to ABC and will have its license to sell alcohol reviewed for potential additional penalties.
As in the case of the shoulder tap, the more violations an establishment accrues, the stiffer the penalty from ABC.
“Every time we go into an establishment and attempt to buy, we issue them a letter saying we were there,” said Walton. “They either get a letter sent to ABC saying they passed the test or they, and ABC, are issued a letter saying they failed. Those letters are all kept in the ABC file for that business and can really mean a lot when and if there is a violation.”
In terms of being effective, Walton believes the message is getting out.
“We don’t want our decoys to be successful,” said Walton. “We want the adults to know that it is not only going to be the juvenile who gets into trouble, but the adults who provide alcohol to minors will also face consequences.”
Police are investigating the incident at the community park and ask anyone with information to call Galt PD at (209) 366-7000.
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