By Katie Northcott, News Director
On Monday, May 11, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release in conjunction with the Tullahoma Police Department and Manchester Police Department. In the press release, the departments announced their intention to perform a sweep of all stores that sell vapes, CBD, or any product that is illegal for distribution to minors.
The statement reads as follows:
“The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, along with Manchester Police Department & Tullahoma Police Department, are getting ready to do a sweep of all stores that sell Vapes, CBD, or any other products our precious children aren’t allowed to possess or purchase. These three Departments’ SRO’s, Teachers, Parents and other Law Enforcement work too hard to keep our children safe and our schools are seeing a large amount of Vapes and other products in the hands of our youth. Law Enforcement has issued citations to employees of certain stores for sale of vapes and other products to our children to no avail and we are tired of seeing this continue inside our community. All store owners, this is your opportunity to ensure compliance with the law by you and all your employees. All Applicable criminal laws will be fully enforced going forward including:”
The press release went on to cite Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 37-1-156 (Contributing to the delinquency of a minor) and 39-17-1505 (Prohibited purchase or possession by underage persons). Section one of TCA 37-1-156 was highlighted and reads as follows:
“Any adult who contributes to or encourages the delinquency or unruly behavior of a child, whether by aiding or abetting or encouraging the child in the commission of an act of delinquency or unruly conduct or by participating as a principal with the child in an act of delinquency, unruly conduct or by aiding the child in concealing an act of delinquency or unruly conduct following its commission, commits a Class A misdemeanor, triable in the circuit or criminal court.”
The departments then urged store owners to warn their employees about the seriousness of sale to minors and urged parents to explain the health dangers of prohibited substances.
The press release is pictured below:
The post Coffee County Sheriff, Manchester PD, and Tullahoma PD Prepare to Sweep Vape Shops appeared first on Thunder Radio.
