PCSO deputies conducted another round of Operation Pop Top on Thursday, February 5, 2026, and their efforts resulted in the arrest of a convenience store clerk from Lakeland.
The operation is an ongoing campaign by the PCSO, in which they visit numerous stores that sell alcohol, ensuring that they check for IDs and refuse to sell alcoholic beverages to anyone under the age of 21.
In this case, an 18-year-old member of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Cadet Unit 1000 assisted deputies as they checked ten stores around the Lakeland area.
22-year old Maria Juan was arrested by deputies after she sold an alcoholic beverage to the teen. Ms. Juan is employed by the Circle K store at 2385 Griffin Road. She was charged with selling alcoholic beverages to a person under 21, a misdemeanor…