Police Charge Teen Cashier for Selling Alcohol to a Minor

Compliance checks conducted by Exeter police on a dozen businesses selling alcohol resulted in a 17-year-old cashier being charged with selling alcohol to a minor. 

Matthew Anderson of Fremont, who works at The Vine Marketplace at 75 Portsmouth Ave., was charged with prohibited sales of alcohol, a misdemeanor offense.

The Exeter Police Department conducts the compliance checks randomly throughout the year to determine if businesses and employees are checking identifications and confirming customers buying alcohol are at least 21 years old.

The compliance checks April 7 involved a volunteer under the age of 21, under the supervision of plain clothes detectives, to attempt to purchase alcohol, according to police. The volunteer is instructed to provide their real New Hampshire-issued driver's license and he or she must also truthfully answer their age if asked by a cashier, police said.

Of 12 stores checked, only Anderson at The Vine provided alcohol to the underage volunteer, police said.

The other 11 stores in this round of compliance checks were: Gerrys Variety, Deep Meadow Variety, Rite Aid, Phillips 66, Xtra Mart, Lee Mac's Market, Walgreens, Exeter One Stop, Exeter Market, Mobil, and Hannaford's Supermarket. 

Anderson is scheduled to arraigned May 13 at the Exeter District Court.