A local teen was charged with passing counterfeit money at the Warren County A&L Fair after he was identified moments after he passed his latest fake bill Wednesday night.
The suspected counterfeiter, Jack Dylan Howard, 18, is charged with one count of criminal simulation for an incident that happened at the Band Booster Club food booth Wednesday night. Sheriff Jackie Matheny says he will also likely be charged with the passing two fake $20 bills earlier this week at the Lucky CIC food booth.
The teen was charged after a volunteer at the Band Booster Club food booth discovered a $20 bill taken there was fake.
“Everyone has those pens and they’re checking them closely,” said Matheny, noting food booths were being extra careful to check $20 bills since two fake bills were passed at the Lucky booth.
Matheny said the pen, which shows if a bill is counterfeit, showed the $20 bill was fake. One of the workers then found the sheriff at the fair and told him they had just taken a fake bill. They were able to provide a description of the suspect who passed the phony bill.
“We were looking for him and all of a sudden the lady from the booth comes up to me and points him out,” Matheny said. “He was standing over by the cotton candy stand.”
Armed with a positive identification, lawmen questioned the teen and ended up making an arrest.
“These really weren’t very good fakes,” said Matheny, noting Howard took advantage of how busy volunteers were at the food booths.
While stopping short of claiming Howard made the fake bills himself, Matheny said it is likely the counterfeits from the Lucky CIC booth will be laid at his doorstep once the cases go to the grand jury.