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West Dundee business pleads guilty to selling alcohol to minor

Management from a West Dundee convenience store has pleaded guilty to selling alcohol to a minor and must pay a $250 fine, plus court costs, Police Chief Andrew Wieteska said.

Representatives from Route 31 Pantry & Liquor entered a plea Monday night during a hearing before the village’s liquor commission. As part of the guilty plea, the village also stayed a one-day suspension of the store’s liquor license, provided it does not commit another violation within the next 12 months.

“We take sale of liquor to minors very seriously,” Wieteska said. “We take a zero tolerance position on that.”

Management from the establishment refused to comment.

The plea, meanwhile, stems from a police compliance check the department ran Aug. 31 at 22 establishments that sell alcohol. The check involved an underage agent trying to buy a six-pack of beer from those businesses.

“Fortunately, all but one (business) complied with the law of requesting an ID and not selling to minors,” Wieteska said.

The clerk at Route 31 Pantry & Liquor, Anilkumar Shah, 57, of the 900 block of Spring Mill Drive in Hoffman Estates, was cited for selling alcohol to a minor and the matter went to the liquor commission Monday.

Route 31 Pantry & Liquor has been around for at least 10 years and has a good history with the village, Wieteska said. It marked the first time police have cited the business for selling alcohol to minors, he added.

“We haven’t had any complaints over there,” he said.

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