Published: June 24, 2008 08:00 pm      

Leelanau businesses sold alcohol to minors

SUTTONS BAY -- Police cited six Leelanau County businesses for selling alcohol to minors.

Annual compliance checks were conducted last week at 24 county businesses, according to a release from the Leelanau County Sheriff's Department. Teenage decoys working with police were sent in and attempted to buy alcohol from the businesses.

MC Short Stop in Maple City, M-204 Country Store and NJ's Grocery in Lake Leelanau, Blue Bird Tavern in Leland, and O'Keefe's Firehouse Pub and J & J Food Shop in Suttons Bay all were cited for providing alcohol to minors. Violation reports also were sent to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf said five of the six businesses cited didn't ask the teens for any identification. One asked for identification and still sold alcohol, but Oltersdorf couldn't specify which business it was, he said.