OSAGE COUNTY  — Six of 10 Osage County businesses were caught Thursday selling alcohol to underage customers in an undercover sting operation conducted by the Osage County Sheriff’s Office,  Missouri Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC), and the Missouri Department of Revenue.

“A 60% failure rate is unacceptable,” said Sheriff Mike Bonham. “Businesses in the community have an obligation to control the sale of alcohol and ensure that minors are not able to access it.”

The sheriff encourages local businesses to have their employees go through the State of Missouri Alcohol Responsibility Training (SMART) Online Server Training Program. This is a free, online interactive training program operated by the University of Missouri’s Wellness Resource Center. The program educates servers of alcoholic beverages about their legal obligations concerning the service of this highly regulated product. 

“Owners, managers, and employees of establishments that serve alcoholic beverages are strongly encouraged to take this brief, informative program,” said Bonham, noting the six businesses which sold to an undercover decoy did not ask for an ID.

The decoy visited 10 locations in Linn, Westphalia, and Freeburg areas, where he was able to purchase alcohol at Dave’s Pizza & Wings, Casey’s, Casper’s, Break Time, and two of the Eagle Stops in the county. The Eagle Stop in Linn, El Carnaval, BJ’s Restaurant, and Thriftway refused to sell alcohol to the underage agent.

Sheriff Bonham said these sting operations typically occur without notice, each targeting randomly selected locations in different counties. The undercover decoys posing as customers are usually underage volunteers recruited from local colleges or criminal justice programs.

In addition to routine checks, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office will act on a referral from the local police department or credible complaints of underage sales at a certain business, sending in “a whole detail,” consisting of ATC investigators, Department of Motor Vehicles personnel and deputies.

Businesses could be charged with underage sales face civil penalties per violation, with fines for a “first-time offense,” which means the business has had five years of clean history without being charged for underage sales by the ATC.

Additionally, employees or licensees who sell to minors can be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor.

The ATC increases its underage drinking enforcement during certain periods in the year, such as the fall months for the beginning of the school year, and April during Alcohol Awareness Month, which also coincides with high school prom and graduation season.

“Our focus is on keeping the youth in our community safe, and local businesses that sell alcoholic beverages have a responsibility to do their part,” said Bonham.