‘Shoulder Tap’ Nets Four Culprits

Amid last Friday and Saturday’s deluge of rain, Sheriff’s deputies conducted a “shoulder tap” operation to catch adults buying alcohol for minors in the Goleta and Isla Vista areas. Together, teenagers, deputies, and Alcohol Beverage Control agents went fishing at 18 locations, with the minors asking 21 people to buy alcohol or sell it to them and the officers standing by. Of the four issued misdemeanor citations — the consequence is a minimum $1,000 plus 24 hours of community service — three sold alcohol to the teens, and one liquor store customer agreed to buy booze for them.