SPRINGFIELD — An undercover sting to combat a “teenage vaping” problem on Thursday caught four businesses selling the nicotine products to minors.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office conducted the undercover operation throughout the county, led by school resource officers, according to a release issued Friday from the sheriff’s office.
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Deputies checked 31 businesses. Of those, 17 were found to be in compliance and conducted proper identification checks. Ten of the businesses did not sell the product, and four businesses sold to an underage person.
The store employees who sold the products were charged with with illegal distribution of or permitting children to use cigarettes or other tobacco or alternative nicotine products, which is a fourth-degree misdemeanor. They are ordered to appear Jan. 4 in Clark County Municipal Court.
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This is the first of many compliance operations to be conducted in the county. It is not just for enforcement, but to raise awareness of the problem, according to the sheriff’s office.
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