12/30/08 

Counterfeit Bills Continue 

 We are again hearing of counterfeit bills showing up in our general area.  This morning, I received the following information from the Hoquiam Police Department:   

The Hoquiam Police Department took a report of two black males trying to pass a counterfeit $20 at the Fairway Grocery.  One was described as being large with a stocky build, wearing a black stocking hat. The other was wearing a light colored coat and glasses with dark rims.  The two left in a white 1996 Plymouth four door vehicle that comes back registered to an Aberdeen address 

In addition to the counterfeit $100.00 bills passed in Ocean Shores earlier this month, the Aberdeen Police Department had a case last month involving counterfeit $50.00 bills.  Suspects were arrested in the Ocean Shores and Aberdeen cases.  The cases are not believed to be connected at this time.       

Please be aware that the passing of counterfeit bills is occurring in our area.  If you receive a suspicious bill and the suspects are still there, call 911.  If they are no longer there or nearby, call the non-emergency dispatch number for all of Grays Harbor at (360)533-8765.      

Ocean Shores Police Department log, uncut (including several items that didn’t make the print edition):

Dec. 12

Fairwood Drive SW

“Reporting Person requesting (aid) garbage can being taken by the wind — wants to know if officer is available to assist in getting it.”

SR 115 N. of Minard’s Corner

11:40 a.m.

Tree on power lines causing power outage.

Minard Ave. NW

Graffiti on Animal Shelter.

From Det. Chris Iversen, Ocean Shores Police:

“Regarding these bills, a lot of the businesses use the counterfeit detection pens.  You may have seen these in use where they swipe the pen on the bills and, if it turns a certain color, they can tell if the bill is printed on the proper materials.  With these “washed” bills, they will pass the pen test, because, of course, they are genuine bills – just of another denomination.  

“Again, one should check that the watermark portrait matches that of the main portrait on the bill.  There is also the security thread that can be seen when held up to the light.  The thread denotes the actual denomination of the bill. 

Here’s a helpful link with good info.

And the fakes:

Ocean Shores Police recently arrested a local man suspected of passing fake $100 bills. They are made from $5 bills that were washed over and re-done. Police have two of the fake $100 bills that were passed to businesses, and they think there are more out there.

Yesterday around 5 p.m., Ocean Shores Police responded to a call about a male shooting a deer with an arrow. The alleged crime took place on Sand Dollar Court SW at South Sand Dune. Police found the suspect, and made a citation for “Hunting of Game and Unlawful Transportation of Fish or Wildlife.”

Think you can escape the Ocean Shores police by being outside the city gates? Think again: they’re all deputized to make arrests outside the city limits. In fact, Chief Mike Styner was driving home around 6 p.m. last Wednesday, when a driver going the other way almost hit him. He pulled over the driver, on Kirkpatrick Road in Copalis Crossing . . . and that fellow ended up being arrested, for DUI.

Accident around 7:30 on Saturday night: The State Patrol reports the 19-year-old Hoquiam driver of a Chevy pickup “was traveling southbound on SR 109, attempting to make an unsafe U-turn.” A GMC pickup driven by an Aberdeen man “was traveling northbound SR 109, and struck” the Chevy pickup. The Aberdeen man was taken to Community Hospital with chest and neck injuires. The Hoquiam man was charged with “unsafe driving.” The Aberdeen man was charged with DUI.

The 41-year-old Aberdeen man who was beaten and lit on fire last week has died. Two hour after leaving the Quinault Casino last Monday night, he was picked up by a passer by east of Copalis Beach. The Good Samaritan took the assault victim to Grays Harbor Community Hospital. He was transferred to Harborview Hospital, where he died yesterday.

Last night, Seattle TV stations showed video of a 41-year-old Aberdeen man leaving the Quinault Casino after midnight on Tuesday morning, and video of him being dropped off at Grays Harbor Community Hospital a few hours later. After he left the casino (video shows him followed closely by an unidentified man), he was apparently beaten and lit on fire, most likely somewhere in the North Beach area. Police said the man was able to stumble into the emergency room, and had blunt force trauma to his face and head and burns to his upper body and head.

Click here for video from KIRO Channel 7.