LEONARDTOWN, MD (January 8, 2025) – On December 29, 2024, the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit conducted a succession of tobacco compliance checks. The covert compliance checks involved using an underage Sheriff's Office confidential informant (CI) who was 19 years old and wore jean pants and a long-sleeved shirt. The CI was directed to enter the store, retrieve a tobacco product, and try to purchase said product. During the compliance checks, either Sergeant Robert Merritt or Corporal Chad Hartzell accompanied the CI; both wore civilian attire and observed all underage tobacco transactions.
The Sheriff’s Office visited 19 businesses, and 16 businesses passed the compliance check by asking the CI for proof of age. The three businesses that did not pass the compliance check and failed to ask for any identification, allowing tobacco product sales to an underage person:
Lex Wine & Spirits: 46400 Lexington Village Way, Lexington Park
Tobacco Hut And Vape: 44920 Saint Andrews Church Road, California
King Smoke: 22741 Three Notch Rd, Unit #4, California
The businesses that passed compliance checks were:
ABC Liquors: 22741 Three Notch Road, California
Bradfords Neighborhood Market LLC: 23860 Hollywood Road, Hollywood
California Wine & Spirits: 23123 Camden Way, California
Early Bird: 23791 Mervell Dean Road, Hollywood
Jughead Liquor Wine Beer: 16036 Three Notch Road, California
Sign Of The Whale Liquors: 21899 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park
Twist Wine & Spirits: 22608 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park
Wildewood Wine & Spirits: 23415 Three Notch Road, California
Wawa: 23141 Three Notch Road, California
Donut Connection: 22807 Three Notch Road, California
Cloud Smoke Shop: 22811 Three Notch Road, California
Sheetz: 22711 Three Notch Road, California
7-Eleven: 22606 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park
TJ Liquors: 22576 MacArthur Boulevard, California
Wawa: 22530 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park
Peggs Road Shell: 22530 Three Notch Road, Lexington Park
