Counterfeit money found at local restaurant

NEW MADRID, Mo. - On April 23, an officer took a report from a local restaurant about a woman attempting to pass a counterfeit $100 dollar bill. The cashier noted that the bill felt different than a real one, and when he used a counterfeit pen he confirmed that the bill was fake.

There are currently a large number of counterfeit bills in circulation due to the ease of obtaining “prop money” online. Much of the counterfeit money being passed has foreign writing on it, but some of it does not.

Businesses should be using a counterfeit pen to check all bills larger than a twenty, and if a counterfeit bill is found the police should be contacted immediately. It is not against the law to possess counterfeit money; the crime is committed when the possessor attempts to pass the bill.

On April 24, officers responded to Ramey’s for a report of trespassing. The man had repeatedly been caught shoplifting from the store and been asked several times not to come back on the property.

When he came back in the store, employees called the police to have him arrested. Officers found the man in a car that was leaving the parking lot, and he was arrested for trespassing. In addition, the driver was cited for not having a valid driver’s license and the vehicle was towed.