HOUGHTON/KEWEENAW COUNTY -- Police in the Keweenaw are cracking down on minors in possession of alcohol, and their latest efforts targeted local stores. They performed more than a dozen compliance checks last week and the results were surprising.
Thirteen stores were checked in Houghton and Keweenaw Counties last Friday night. Eight of those stores sold alcohol to the minor.
The checks were performed by troopers from the Michigan State Police Calumet Post and the Houghton City Police Department who were working on a grant from the Office of Highway and Safety Planning.
"It's not to go out and punish the stores, store owners or clerks, though there are sanctions for what happened. The ultimate goal is to make sure no one under the age of 21 purchases alcohol," said Sgt. Jason Wickstrom of the Michigan State Police.
Because of the number of violations, police say they will definitely do future checks. They still have some money remaining from the grant and they'd like to focus next on local bars.
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