Police: Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe Employee Prevents Underage Sale

A young man plopped two 20-packs of Bud Light onto the counter at Glen-Ro Spirit Shoppe, 487 Monroe Turnpike, last Thursday afternoon. But the cashier, who recognized him as the little brother of a friend she used to play lacrosse with, didn't think he could be 21, according to store owner Larry Cass.

Cass said he is called to the counter whenever a questionable or an out-of-state driver's license is presented.

"I asked him to fill out an age statement, but he refused and asked for his I.D. back," Cass recalled. "I said, 'No,' and went outside and took this photo," he added, showing a cell phone picture of a car's back plate.

Cass called a police officer, who took statements from him and his employee, watched video produced by one of 16 store security cameras and called in the driver's license to the DMV.

"It was a real operator I.D. but the year had been altered," Cass said. "He was born in '94 not '92."

The 19-year-old Shelton teen turned himself in on the charge of misrepresentation of age to procure liquor, according to police. He was released on a promise to appear in court on a June 28 court date.

Cass said he believes a bigger problem is the teenager had provided a statement that his I.D. was produced by another student at UConn.

A Glen-Ro Spirit Shop employee told Patch that one can go online and order a machine to make I.D.'s, adding one college student was busted for making over 200 licenses confiscated by a store in Hamden.

Cass said he actively enforces drinking laws on the sale of alcohol at his store, calling police for an average of two attempted purchases by minors per year.

"It's not worth my investment," he said. "My wife and I took a loan on our 401K as a partial downpayment for this store. I take this very seriously. I prosecute to the full extent of the law."