Clinton Twp. Police, Secret Service Investigate Counterfeit Case Against Teen
The following information was supplied by the Clinton Township Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
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An 18-year-old Clinton Township resident is expected to face counterfeiting and possession with intent to deliver charges stemming from his reported involvement in back-to-back crimes last weekend.
On Jan. 12, the teen allegedly passed two counterfeit $20 bills at the McDonald’s on Groesbeck. The restaurant’s manager told police the suspect paid for his order with a $20 bill, then asked the cashier to break a second $20, receiving change from both transactions.
The cashier changed the second bill but noted that the paper felt odd, according to the police report. The bills were checked and found to be counterfeit.
Employees took down the suspect’s license plate number, which police later traced to the 18-year-old suspect.
Working with the U.S. Secret Service, as is protocol with counterfeit cases, Clinton Township police searched the suspect’s home and interviewed the teen, who admitted to passing the counterfeit bills, Detective Capt. Richard Maierle said.
Police are continuing to investigate the origin of the counterfeit notes, but no additional bills were found in the home.
Maierle added that the department intends to pursue a charge of counterfeiting at the state level.
The teen may also face a charge of marijuana possession with intent to deliver, according to police.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Jan. 13, Clinton Township officers stopped the suspect and another 21-year-old male in the area of Canton and Sharkey. Noting a strong smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle, officers conducted a seach, uncovering a bag of marijuana on the passenger as well as a duffel bag in the trunk containing two jars of marijuana, a scale and a pipe, according to police.
Maierle said he expects warrants to be authorized for the teen in both cases.
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Jenny Whalen
4:03 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
I have to say, one of my biggest fears is getting a counterfeit bill and not realizing it until I'm being interrogated by the Secret Service. Almost makes me want to pay credit all the time.