Double whammy for Lynn liquor store

LYNN-Not only did employees at Dymes Liquor store sell alcohol to an underage girl during a routine police sting on Monday, they were also caught red-handed selling liquor to an underage Marblehead girl when police went inside to confront them for selling booze to the volunteer minutes earlier, police said.Dymes, located on a stretch of Washington Street between the Lynnway and Broad Street, was already under police scrutiny for selling alcohol to minors. When an Item reporter rode along in June with police who sent underage volunteers from the non-profit Girls Inc. to try to buy beer at local package stores, participants said they were concerned that Dyme’s was selling liquor to minors from Swampscott and Marblehead.Police said their fears were confirmed Monday when Dymes was the only liquor store in the city caught selling alcohol to underage teens.”The results of this operation suggested that Dymes was a location frequented by underage individuals from surrounding communities,” said Lynn police spokesperson Lt. David Brown. “The local licensing authority was made aware of this concern and will review the situation.”Volunteers tried to buy alcohol at 35 Lynn liquor stores on Monday.According to police, a short time after the volunteer was able to purchase alcohol, Sgt. Rick Carrow, who helped supervise the operation, went inside to confront the employee when he witnessed another underage girl, a 19-year-old from Marblehead, purchase a bottle of vodka.Her 18-year-old friend, also from Marblehead, was waiting in a parked car.”Officers discussed both incidents with the Dymes store manager and the clerk,” Brown said. “Reports documenting their non-compliance were forwarded to the local licensing board for review.”Dymes received at least one suspension in the past for selling alcohol to underage youths.”Recently, Lynn Police received complaints that underage individuals from Swampscott and Marblehead were allegedly purchasing alcoholic beverages at Dymes,” Brown said.The Marblehead female who purchased the alcohol will be summonsed to Lynn District Court for being a minor in possession of alcohol, police said.