SEVEN ARRESTED FOR BUYING BOOZE FOR TEENS IN STING OPERATION

Seven people were arrested Saturday for buying booze for minors during a “shoulder tap” sting operation in the Morongo Basin. According to a Sheriff’s Department press release, between 4 p.m. and midnight Saturday, minor decoys approached adult customers in front of businesses licensed to sell alcohol, and asked the adults to buy them alcohol. During the eight-hour sting operation, seven adults were arrested for providing alcohol to minors: Don Ketchum, 61, Sherry Johnsen, 49, and Duane Bronson, 45, all of Twentynine Palms; Tina Duncan, 48, of Joshua Tree; Charles Lathrop, 56, of Yucca Valley, Julia Salazar, 23, of San Bernardino; and Kahan Sandhu, 52, of Riverside. Also arrested during the sting operation for outstanding warrants were Christina Geddis, 29, of Joshua Tree; and Ivan Maduena, 20, of San Bernardino. The press release reports that during the sting operation, several businesses in Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley immediately confronted the minor decoys and made them leave the property, thus preventing the illegal sale of alcohol from their establishments.