Smithville Police Urge Businesses to Check for Counterfeit Bills

Local business owners and operators are urged to be on the lookout for counterfeit bills, especially $100 and $20 bills that may be circulating.
Smithville Police Chief Richard Jennings says a man went to DeKalb Community Bank Wednesday to change a $100 bill but the teller discovered that it was a counterfeit. The man then asked the teller to check other bills in his wallet and found that he had fourteen $20 bills that were also counterfeit for a total of $380 in fake money.
The man said he had also given a $20 bill to a female relative, which police learned also proved to be counterfeit. The woman tried to pass the bill at Save-A-Lot on Wednesday.
Chief Jennings says police do not believe the man or his female relative knew the bills they had were counterfeit, so no charges have been filed against them.
However, Chief Jennings adds that since neither police nor the man who had the bills knows where they came from, there could be more circulating, so he is urging all business people to beware.
Officers Randy King and Travis Bryant filed reports in the case.
Smithville Police have charged 32 year old Eric James Garner with two counts of simple possession of a schedule IV controlled substance. His bond totals $3,000 and he will be in court on the charges December 18th.
On November 28th, Officer Travis Bryant responded to 2638 Allen Ferry Road to a possible domestic. After speaking to Garner, who said he was having problems with his wife, Officer Bryant obtained consent to search and found in the residence a pill bottle containing five blue pills believed to be Clonazepam. Officer Bryant asked Garner if he had been taking anything and he stated “not today”, but that someone had given him some pills. He produced a pill bottle that contained 750 mg of methocarbamol which is a muscle relaxer. The bottle contained 19 pills.
In other cases, 28 year old Heather Starr Trapp is charged with theft of property under $500. Her bond is $1,000 and she was due to appear in court Thursday.
Officer Scott Davis responded to Save-A-Lot on November 24th where Trapp was accused of taking a package of baby wipes and a package of disposable razors. She allegedly hid the items on her person and left the store without paying for them.
34 year old Kyle Russell Hill is charged with filing a false report. His bond is $10,000 and he will be in court December 18th.
Detective Sergeant Jerry Hutchins, Jr. filed the charge stating that Hill falsely reported the theft of several items from his home at 835 Dry Creek Road on November 26th including a class ring, necklace with a horseshoe pendant and a horseshoe ring. Upon further investigation, it was learned that Hill had gone to a pawn shop on October 14th and pawned two items and on October 17th he pawned the other items.
47 year old Alton Ray Hinsley is charged with theft of property under $500 and public intoxication. His bond totals $2,000 and he was to have appeared in court Thursday.
Officer Scott Davis responded to a call at Wal-mart on November 25th where Hinsley allegedly put on a pair of boots and walked out of the store without paying for them. The boots were valued at $59.00. Hinsley was also intoxicated. He had an odor of alcohol on his breath, his speech was slurred, and his eyes were bloodshot and watery. He was unsteady on his feet.
36 year old Ricky Shannon Nokes is charged with theft under $500, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of possession of a schedule II controlled substance. His bond totals $5,500 and he will be in court December 11th.
Officer Scott Davis responded to Wal-mart on November 25th where Nokes was observed putting several items of store merchandise on his person and attempting to leave the store without paying for them. The items were valued at $48.93.
Upon a search incident to arrest, Officer Davis found a straw containing a powdery residue in his front pocket. Nokes also had a pill bottle clutched in his hand containing six hydrocodone pills. He had no prescription for the pills.
Nokes also had a key chain with a silver pill holder and inside the pill holder was a baggie containing an unknown white substance, which later was field tested and shown to be meth.