Bedford Store Employee Arrested For Selling Tobacco To Minor

BEDFORD, NY — A Brooklyn man was arrested after being accused of selling tobacco to a minor. Bedford police said, around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, YiJian Liu, 45, of Brooklyn, was charged with second-degree unlawfully dealing with a child, a misdemeanor.

Liu was the sole employee at The Smoke Shop, located at 742 Bedford Road in Bedford Hills.

Bedford police, in conjunction with the Westchester County Department of Health and the Lewisboro Police Department, conducted a controlled purchase of tobacco using a minor under the age of 18, who works for the Department of Health, police said.

The health department also issued the establishment owner two separate summonses, one for not attempting to ID a minor and another for improper or no signage.

Police said they tested one other store Wednesday: a deli in Depot Plaza. The minor was properly ID'd and did not sell tobacco products in violation of the law.

Liu was released on $200 bail and is due back in the Bedford Justice Court July 10.

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