A Lakeland convenience store clerk was arrested Monday after deputies said he sold an alcoholic beverage to a teenager working with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Fifty-seven-year-old Anthony Wilson faces a misdemeanor charge of sale of alcohol to a person under 21. The sale happened at the RaceTrac store at 6486 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
12 stores checked in Lakeland and Mulberry
The arrest came during Operation Pop Top, an ongoing campaign in which deputies check whether stores follow Florida’s law against selling alcohol to anyone under 21. On Monday, October 19, deputies visited 12 convenience stores in the Lakeland and Mulberry area.
Wilson’s store was the only one where the sale went through. A cadet bought an alcoholic beverage there, deputies said.
Two members of the Sheriff’s Office Cadet 1000 program helped deputies Monday, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old. The program is for high school students interested in law enforcement careers.
Sheriff: Danger is to teens who buy alcohol
Sheriff Grady Judd said the cadets are not at risk during the checks. He said the risk falls on young people who buy alcohol illegally.
“The students are never in any kind of danger as they assist deputies. The danger is to the juveniles who illegally purchase alcohol. There is good reason why state law prohibits that, and we conduct these visits to enforce the law, by making sure businesses are compliant.”
The Sheriff’s Office did not say when Wilson would appear in court or whether he had been released. An arrest is an accusation, and the charge has not been proven in court.