St. Charles Meijer, Tobacco Square caught selling tobacco products to minors

Portions of the northern side of Lucinda Avenue are city owned, giving tobacco-using NIU students a space to smoke close to campus.

ST. CHARLES – Two tobacco retailers have been fined $750 each after failing to card and then selling tobacco or alternative nicotine products to a minor during routine check by the St. Charles Police Department.

The complaints are against the Meijer gas station located at 855 Randall Road and Tobacco 108, Inc. for Tobacco Square at 2075 Prairie St #108. The violations were first offenses for both licensees.

St. Charles Liquor Control Commission members entered into closed session at a May 15 meeting to discuss complaints of the tobacco license violations by Meijer gas station and Tobacco Square.

The liquor control commission oversees tobacco, gaming and massage licensing in the city.

Police Chief James Keegan filed the complaints and citations, which stated that on or about April 12, both stores violated their liquor licenses by selling tobacco or alternative nicotine products to a minor.

The citations were issued while his department was conducting routine compliance checks on tobacco licensees within the city, Keegan said.

He said during these checks, an underage person is sent in to try and purchase tobacco products, and in this case, both locations failed to card and illegally sold tobacco or nicotine products.

Keegan said the total fine for both retailers was $750 plus any legal fees incurred by the city during the process. St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek is also the liquor control commissioner, and makes the final decision on punitive action.

The clerks who sold the product at each establishment were also cited for delivering tobacco products to a minor under local ordinances, and will be adjudicated through the city’s local adjudication process.