OUR VIEW: Excellence in enforcement, compliance with the law

» Police report no violations among town’s alcohol sellers during recent operation

Police recently executed a sting operation under which agents under the age of 21 were sent into local businesses to buy alcohol.

And of the 26 town businesses licensed to sell alcohol by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, exactly none of them sold booze to the undercover youngsters.

We think that’s worthy of kudos.

Yes, we know that we’re giving the clerks props for doing what they’re supposed to be doing in the first place, but it is unsual for all businesses in such an operation to be fully compliant with the law. Culpeper Police Sgt. Tim Sisk said a couple of businesses usually are found to be in violation in such operations.

So we applaud all of the local clerks who were diligent in following the law with regard to selling alcohol to minors. Keep up the good work.

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Orange County deputies recently did an excellent job in busting a 16-year-old Orange County High School student with cocaine in his locker.

Yes, cocaine. We’re not talking a pack of Marlboros that the boy planned to smoke in the lavatory between periods. We’re talking $1,900 worth of the white powder packaged in 19 small bags and ready to sell. If that’s not enough, the deputies confiscated 17 pills of methadone and five bags of marijuana as well.

The student — unnamed because he is a juvenile — should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. And teenagers have a time-honored tradition of doing stupid things. This, however, is beyond stupid. It’s downright dangerous and should not be tolerated — juvenile or not.

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We also congratulate Culpeper Police sergeants Tim Chilton and Jason Deal, who recently were honored by the State Police for their effort in a couple of local auto theft cases.
Keep up the good work.