CRACK DOWN:Underage Drinking

The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is cracking down on underaged drinkers on Louisiana college campuses.
“Project Focus,” spearheaded by Leonard Prean, assistant director of the Alcohol and Tobacco Control, is a federally funded program that targets the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages to minors.
“We have received many complaints from the university’s athletic and police department of the increasing amount of alcohol being consumed by students,” Charles Gilmore, an ATC investigator said.
The ATC sent juveniles to purchase alcohol at 18 local corner stores in the Scotlandville area. Of the 18, 16 sold to the juveniles.
Coleman’s Quick Stop on Harding Blvd. was one of the stores that was “busted” again. This was the third time Coleman’s had been charged with selling alcohol to a minor. They were issued a $7,000 fine and their liquor license was suspended for three months.
“We made mistakes in the past, but now we are really strict on ID’s,” said Charles Bell, manager of Coleman’s.
The ATC also set up an undercover surveillance operation on Coleman’s after the initial crackdown.
“Out of the twelve illegal sales made of alcohol to minors, nine were made to Southern students,” said Gilmore.
Students who were caught received misdemeanor summons on the charge of illegal possession and/or consumption of an alcoholic beverage by a minor. Students were required to attend an alcohol abuse prevention program through the University Counseling Center.
“The University didn’t want to put students out of school for their irrational behavior. We felt that they should learn from their mistakes so that further problems such as rape or drug abuse won’t occur,” said Robert Bennett, Director of Student Life.
” The program is excellent, the numbers have gone down since this program have taken effect,” said Charles Gilmore an ATC investigator
The ATC will be in full force in the up coming weeks for homecoming festivities.
“We will have officers on four-wheelers patrolling on campus checking for underage drinkers,” said Gilmore.
“Tailgaters who are caught buying or giving alcohol to underage students will be charged for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and even if an underage student is caught holding a container of alcohol they will receive a possession charge,” added Gilmore.
“Project Focus” has been in existence for the past two years.