Sebastopol teen decoy sting gets stung

Two teenage decoys in an undercover alcohol sting operation suddenly had the tables turned on them Thursday in Sebastopol, stung by a suspect a bit too clever for his own good.

As police watched surreptitiously, the two girls approached a Sebastopol man outside a Safeway store and asked him to buy them booze. He kindly took the $10 they offered -- and took off, police said.

Steven Lionel Buchanan, 54, was $10 richer only for the time it took him to get a block away, however.

He was unaware the girls were decoys being monitored by authorities as part of an operation targeting adults who buy alcohol for underage teens, Sebastopol police said.

Buchanan was arrested on suspicion of petty theft and taken to the Sonoma County Jail, where authorities learned he was wanted on a $5,000 warrant for failure to appear on a drunk-in-public arrest from March, Sebastopol Police Chief Jeff Weaver said.

He was released Friday after posting bail but was unavailable for comment.

Buchanan was at the Main Street Safeway on Thursday night when police said he agreed to the mission proposed by the teens, one a former Police Explorer Scout and the other one of her friends.

After going inside, he simply walked through the store and out the other side, police said. Startled officers quickly recovered and apprehended the suspect nearby.

The sting, similar to those conducted in several cities in Sonoma County, was part of a larger effort aimed at keeping alcoholic beverages out of the hands of youths. The Sebastopol effort includes an ordinance headed for the City Council to hold parents accountable if they know or should know minors are being served alcohol at their homes, Weaver said.

In the decoy operation, the teen volunteers were instructed to approach people outside local stores and tell them they could not buy alcohol themselves because they were underage, he said.

In one instance outside Sebastopol's Pacific Market, Weaver said, they were roundly scolded by a woman who then walked inside and loudly announced their presence outside.

In another, a 21-year-old Alabama man approached them and, after learning what they wanted, treated them to a six-pack, Weaver said. He and his 17-year-old companion, who actually handed over the beer, were arrested, police said.

Weaver said he worked as a decoy for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department and Healdsburg police when he was 19.

He acknowledged there is some risk that events won't always unfold as expected. However, he said the teens are closely monitored -- sometimes wearing concealed wires -- and are in close enough proximity to officers that risks of violent behavior are minimized.

He also said the teens do not disclose their link to law enforcement. Rather, the decoys typically leave the area before officers step in, Weaver said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@

pressdemocrat.com.