Woman Arrested For Selling Alcohol To Minor In Lakeland: Sheriff

LAKELAND, FL — A Winter Haven woman is facing charges after Polk County deputies said she sold alcohol to a minor.

Deputies said 38-year-old Sumitraben Patel, who is employed at a Citgo in Lakeland, sold alcohol to a 19-year-old.

She's been charged with a misdemeanor.

Her arrest comes after Polk County deputies conducted an "Operation Pop-Top" on Tuesday at ten different convenience stores in the Bartow and South Lakeland areas.

Deputies said the ongoing operation is designed to ensure that stores within the county are compliant with state laws by not selling alcohol to anyone under 21 years of age.

Deputies said they were assisted in the operation by a PCSO Explorer who made the attempt to purchase alcohol.

The Explorer program is for high school students who are interested in a career in law enforcement. In this particular operation, the Explorer was 19-years-old.

Out of the ten stores visited by Deputies and the Explorer on Tuesday, nine of the stores were compliant.

“The stores and employees who were found to be in compliance with the law are to be congratulated. Each store and the employees must ensure that they do not sell alcoholic beverages to anyone under 21 years of age. We do these operations often, and we will hold stores and employees accountable," Sheriff Grady Judd said.

According to the sheriff's office, the nine stores which refused to sell the alcoholic beverage to the Explorer were:

• Citgo, 795 W. Main St., Bartow
• Circle K, 310 W. Main St., Bartow
• 7-Eleven, 1020 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow
• RaceTrac, 1690 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow
• 7-Eleven, 6175 US Hwy 98 S., Lakeland
• Circle K, 2175 E. CR 540A, Lakeland
• 7-Eleven, 1011 E. CR 540A, Lakeland
• Wawa, 5410 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland
• Marathon, 1201 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland