Hickory gas station clerk arrested for selling alcohol to minor before teen crashes

ROLLINS, N.C. — A store clerk in Catawba County has been charged after a investigation found she sold a teen alcohol who then got into a crash, according to the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agency.

An ALE investigation began after a law enforcement officials suspected a 16-year-old who crashed his truck of being impaired, the agency said.

The teen was driving his mother’s truck with two passengers when the truck left the road and struck a tree on July 13, ALE said.

ALE agents investigated to determine where the teens bought the alcohol and learned the teen was sold several Four Loko malt beverages from the Quality Mart 5 in Hickory, N.C.

Tricia Orr, 34, of Hickory, was arrested for selling the teens alcohol without checking any identification.

Orr has been charged with selling alcoholic beverages to a person less than 21-years of age.

The store itself may face further punishment, ALE said. Agents will submit a violation report to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission on the store. Quality Mart 5 could face fines, suspension, or even revocation of ABC permits, according to investigators.

The crash is still being investigated by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

(WATCH BELOW: Store owners plead guilty to selling alcohol to underage driver who killed family)

Store owners plead guilty to selling alcohol to underage driver who killed family A family of three was hit and killed in a crash Halloween night in 2019 after one of the store owners provided alcohol to a minor. (NCD)

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