Piney Point Market pleads guilty to furnishing alcohol to underage buyer; fines imposed

Piney Point Market admitted guilt on charges that it furnished alcohol to a person under 21 during a county compliance check on Jan. 13. Deputies said the confidential informant purchased a 12‑pack of beer and reported a dark‑haired clerk with a foreign accent had sold it after looking at the ID but completing the sale.

Owner Sharon L. Hammett told the board she had hired the clerk recently and that the clerk had not yet completed TAMS training; she said she pays for employees’ training and that the clerk ‘understood a lot better now’ after instruction. Hammett said the clerk’s unfamiliarity with U.S. driver’s‑license formatting may have contributed to the error.

The board accepted the guilty plea, imposed a $500 fine with $250 suspended on count 1, and imposed a $250 fine on count 2 that was suspended. No license suspension was imposed. Hammett was directed to pay the unsuspended $250 portion within 10 days and was reminded of the 30‑day appeal right.

Board members urged the licensee to maintain vigilant carding practices and noted that repeated violations would prompt escalated penalties.