Six cited for selling alcohol to a minor

5:47 p.m. Aug. 11, 2025

Beer Board Meeting

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Six of 10 Moore County businesses failed an undercover alcohol compliance check earlier this summer, resulting in fines or temporary license suspensions.

During Monday night’s Moore County Beer Board meeting, Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Thomas reported that on July 2, the sheriff’s department sent an underage, off-duty law enforcement officer into local establishments licensed to sell beer or liquor. The compliance operation tested whether clerks and servers would verify the buyer’s age before making a sale.

Thomas said the undercover officer used her actual identification, which showed she was under 21, and that each transaction was recorded on video. “None of the businesses that had ID scanners sold to her,” he told the board. “The ones that didn’t have scanners either misread the date or failed to check it closely.”

Board members reminded business owners that selling alcohol to a minor carries a penalty of either a $1,500 fine or a two-week license suspension. The six cited businesses chose as follows:

  • Short Creek RV Resort – two-week suspension
  • Lynchburg Market – $1,500 fine (paid)
  • Lynchburg Hardware & General Store – $1,500 fine
  • Sweet Southern Spirits – two-week suspension
  • Bar-B-Que Caboose Cafe – $1,500 fine
  • Canterero Mexican Grill – $1,500 fine

Thomas noted that in a previous compliance check in 2021, only two or three businesses failed to comply. He said the recent number was “a little extreme” and urged all sellers to “card everybody” and consider using scanners or date-check calendars to avoid future violations.

“Bottom line is card everybody and look closely,” Beer Board Chairman Buford Jennings noted.

The four businesses that did not sell to the undercover officer were Woodards Market & Deli, Dollar General, Barrel House BBQ, and Jiffy Mart.

There are three types of beer permits in Moore County:

Off Premises

• Woodards Market & Deli
• Lynchburg Hardware & General Store
• Lynchburg Market
• Sweet Southern Spirits
• Dollar General
• Short Creek RV Resort
• Moonpie General Store

On and Off Premises

• Barrel House BBQ
• Bar-B-Cue Caboose Cafe
• Jiffy Mart

On Premise

• Canterero Mexican Grill