Two Clerks Charged Following Underage Alcohol Sting

The following information was provided by the Peekskill Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.

City of Peekskill Police Officers conducting alcohol compliance checks arrested two individuals Friday Oct. 21 in separate incidents. Sergeant Len Mignini and Officer Carl DeMarco working with an underage agent, attempted to purchase alcohol from sixteen licensed establishments in the city. While fourteen of these establishments refused to sell to the underage agent, two did not and the clerks were subsequently arrested.

Dineshkum Patel (63, of Croton), the owner of the Quick Food Mart located at 925 Washington St, Peekskill; and Romulo Ledemsa (32, Peekskill), a clerk at the Sunoco Gas Station located at 800 N. Division St., were each charged with Prohibited Sale of Alcohol to a Minor, a misdemeanor. Both were issued appearance tickets to appear in Peekskill City Court on Nov. 10, 2011 at 1 p.m. to answer the charges.

The fourteen establishments who refused to sell and challenged the underage agent are commended for their commitment to ensuring alcohol does not end up in the hands of the underage. The fact, however, that we are still finding establishments who do not take the responsibility that comes with having license to sell alcohol seriously is disturbing as we have all seen the tragic consequences that are often the result.

In addition to the criminal charges the clerks are facing, each of the establishments that illegally sold alcohol are facing heavy fines and/or the suspension or revocation of their liquor licenses by the State Liquor Authority.

City Police have conducted these investigations on a regular basis and will continue checking licensed establishments at random to combat underage drinking.