Over the past couple of weeks, with the assistance of the WI Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement and through a grant with the Barron County Community Coalition to keep kids safe, the Barron County Sheriff’s Department conducted 22 compliance checks across the county on alcohol and tobacco establishments. The purpose of this operation was to check establishments to make sure products are not sold to underage subjects – reducing the accessibility of these products to our youth. WI Alcohol and Tobacco also checked places for any state wide licensing issues.
Out of the 22 locations, 4 businesses failed these checks for county ordinance violations:
- Village Tobacco Shop, Rice Lake, sold tobacco/THC product to underage subject
- Stump Lake Liquor, Rice Lake, sold tobacco to underage subject
- Guilty Vibez, Barron, sold THC vape to underage subject
- Ben and Maggie’s Town Pump, Cameron, served alcohol to underage subject
Also as a result of this joint operation, Ben and Maggie’s also did not have a licensed bartender
and had illegally obtained alcohol from a non-licensed source on premise and was closed down
for the night by WI Alcohol and Tobacco.
Guilty Vibez at the Barron and the Turtle Lake locations were also closed temporarily for
inspection and searched by WI Alcohol and Tobacco and a substantial amount of product were
seized for: - Unauthorized transfer of cigarette/tobacco/vape products from one retail to another
- Un-invoiced tobacco products
- Obtaining untaxed vapor products from unauthorized source
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department, Turtle Lake Police Department, Cameron Police
Department, Barron Police Department and WI Alcohol and Tobacco are continuing to
investigate these violations.
