Sting Leads to Citations for Serving Alcohol To Minors

Sgt. Riley Harwood said four out of nine bars were cited for serving alcohol to minors on Saturday. Police helped Alcohol Beverage Control officers during a sting in downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday. Two minors served as decoys.

Harwood said Santa Barbara Brewing Company, El Torito, Uncle Rocco New York Pizza, and Benchmark Eatery were cited, but he did not know how much the fines would cost the businesses..

Five other business did not serve to the underage customers including Casa Blanca, Eladios, Las Aves, The Marquee and Cadiz.

Patrick Deasy, from Alcohol and Beverage Control, the decoys are not allowed to lie about their age. During the sting they state their accurate age and present their real ID if asked. They cannot use a fake ID. He said no one is being tricked in any way.

Police said they did not plan the sting because of Fiesta, but they hope it sends a message not to serve people who are under 21.