The two month investigation was a team effort by the Clarke County Sheriff's Office and the Berryville Police Department.

They received complaints from citizens and began the investigation.

Police sent two people under 21 into the stores with money and told them to buy alcohol and to their surprise, seven stores sold it to them.

James Shepherd owns J&J Corner Store, one of the businesses cited for selling alcohol to people who are underage.

It was his grandson who made the sale. Shepherd says he is angry with his grandson, but he doesn't like the way police handled the investigation either.

Shepherd says, "The only way they can do anything is sneaking. They can't come out in the open and do nothing, they have to hide behind a tree or a bush."

Karen Dunlap was working with Shepherd's grandson on Friday when it happened. She says it is easy to miss something when the store is busy.

Dunlap tells TV3, "You take a look at the drivers license and sometimes you do make a mistake and look at them wrong and it was just an honest mistake."

That isn't something that police dispute.

Chief Neal White says he was surprised that more than half of the stores in the county were caught but that he doesn't think any of the stores were being malicious in their actions.

He hopes this will change the way they do things.

Chief White says, "It is a matter of training and if they're not training properly how to read an I.D., then there is an issue so we want to make sure that those doors are closed."

All of the offending clerks got a summons to appear in court.

Police say the maximum sentence is 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

The following people were charged with selling alcohol to persons less than 21 years of age:
Farman Ali of Berryville, 340 Quick Mart
Bettylou Fleck of Boyce, Food Lion
James Haile of Bluemont, Pine Grove Store
Clayton Cummings of Bluemont, J&J Corner Store
Barbara Mitchell of White Post, Handy Mart
Song Ko of Boyce, Shenandoah Mart
Jennifer Smallwood of Berryville, 7-11 at Route 7 and Kimble Road

The following stores refused to sell alcohol to the underage person(s):
7-11 at Route 7 and Triple J Road
7-11 at Double Tollgate
Sheetz
Jims Country Store
340 Cigarette Outlet
Red Apple Deli
Market Basket