Police nab man passing bogus bills

Lavonia Police arrested a South Carolina man on first degree forgery charges after passing counterfeit bills at three local businesses.

Police Chief Randy Shirley said that the Dollar General received a $100 bill on Nov. 6 and Taco Bell received a $100 bill on Nov. 7.

“The bill he passed at the Dollar General was marked with the counterfeit detection pin and it checked out,” Shirley said. “It was caught when it got to BB&T Bank. The counterfeit bill was made by bleaching a $5 bill and changing the corners and picture to match that of a $100 dollar bill”

Shirley also said that he notified his officers and the Lavonia Chamber of Commerce to send an alert to all businesses giving them a detailed description of the forged bills.

On Wednesday night, Nov. 8, at approximately 8:45 p.m., a white male attempted to buy a carton of cigarettes at Dill's Food City with a $100 bill. Shirley said the cashier used the marker and the bill checked okay. The cashier went a step further, checking the watermark, and noticed that the picture was not of Benjamin Franklin but of President Abraham Lincoln. The store manager contacted police after verifying the bill was an apparent counterfeit. The suspect became suspicious and left the store at the same time police arrived. After police confronted the suspect, he attempted to elude police on foot, but was captured across the street at the American Legion while hiding underneath a tractor trailer. During the foot chase, the suspect threw the counterfeit bill on the ground and Dill's employees located it and turned it over to police.

Arrested was Eli Moore Tucker, age 28, of 148 Green Acre Lane, Fairplay, S.C. Tucker is charged with three counts of forgery in the first degree and is in the Franklin County Jail without bond as the investigation continues.

“The Secret Service has been asked to assist with this investigation because Tucker has an accomplice who hasn't been caught yet,” Shirley said. “We also believe he is connected with counterfeit bills that were passed in Oconee County, S.C. The Hartwell Police Department has charged him with two counts of forgery and Toccoa has charged him with one count of forgery for a $100 bill he passed at the Wal-Mart in Toccoa.”

Shirley said that the counterfeit bills have the same serial numbers and asks that any business that may have $100 bills with the serial number CB17329146B call their local police department or the Lavonia Police Department at 706-356-4848.

“It was the extra effort put forth by the Dill's employee that helped us apprehend the suspect,” Shirley said. “I would recommend businesses continue to use the counterfeit detention pin, especially over the holiday season when we usually see an increase in forgery crimes, but to also look at the texture of the bill and the watermark because they are hard to forge. We will also be happy to assist businesses in any way we can.”