Monterey Market Faces $1,000 Fine

A Monterey convenience store faces a $1,000 fine for selling alcohol to minors.

Carl’s Super Market will be forced to pay the fine within the next seven days.

Mayor Bill Wiggins said the incident should be a reminder to other stores with permits to sale beer.

“They discovered that one of the vendors sold alcohol to people under the age of 18 and didn’t ask for proof of age or any ID,” Wiggins said. “We are going to be sending letters reminding them [other businesses] that occasionally our police department will do random checks and to be on guard.”

The Monterey Beer Board voted to issue the fine Monday night, rather than revoke or suspend the market’s beer permit. The owners were cited to appear before city court after a store clerk sold alcohol to two 17-year-olds last month.

“I think that since it’s their first offense, we should asses a fine,” Alderman J.J. Reels said. “I think revoking or suspending it for a first offense would be like getting a speeding ticket and going to jail.”

Monday’s meeting marked the first alcohol-related disciplinary hearing to take place in Monterey since town residents voted to permit beer sales in 2016.