Centereach clerk sold alcohol to minor, Suffolk police say

Investigators checked liquor sales at two dozen stores in the Brookhaven area Thursday and found one store in Centereach where the clerk sold to a minor, police said.

The clerk at NY Food & Drink on Middle County Road, Buenaventura Benitez, 43, of Smithtown, was given a summons, Suffolk County police said.

He was cited for unlawfully dealing with a child and prohibited sale (of alcohol) to a person under 21.

Officers from the Sixth Precinct and the State Liquor Authority conducted underage alcohol checks at 24 businesses in Centereach, Coram, East Setauket, Port Jefferson Station, Stony Brook, Miller Place and Mount Sinai, police said.

Workers at the other stores refused to sell alcohol to a minor.