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Police have recovered 20 counterfeit $100 bills that are legitimate $5 bills that were “washed” of ink using car degreaser and reprinted on an inkjet printer, Olympia detective Chris Johnstone said Friday.
Joel St. John, 27, was being held Friday at the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of 20 counts of forgery. His bail was set at $50,000 for the forgery case, but he also has several no-bail warrants, a jail official said.
St. John has told police that he has printed 100 to 125 of the bills in the past two months, court papers state.
Also according to court papers:
An investigation began Sept. 12 when an employee of Cost Plus World Market on Cooper Point Road called police to report a cashier there had unknowingly accepted a counterfeit bill.
An officer went to other businesses on Olympia’s west side to alert them that someone was passing counterfeit bills. An employee of Top Foods told the officer that a man had recently attempted to pass a counterfeit bill there, but the cashier discovered it was fake and the man fled.
A Top Foods employee told the officer that a man thought to be the same suspect also had passed counterfeit currency at the chain’s stores in Tacoma and Federal Way. The officer reviewed surveillance footage from the Top Foods stores in Tacoma and Federal Way with a Top Foods employee. The employee recognized St. John.
On Sept. 14, the officer saw St. John walking Harrison Avenue, and he attempted to make contact with him. St. John fled. Two days later, another Olympia officer was contacted by a man who had found a bag in the bushes near his home, near where St. John had fled the other officer. The bag contained six counterfeit bills. St. John’s sister later turned 14 more counterfeit bills over to police.
Detective Chris Johnstone saw St. John walking at 11th Avenue and Decatur Street on Wednesday and arrested him after a brief chase. He admitted to the counterfeiting, Johnstone said.
St. John reportedly told court officials that he uses methamphetamine and Percocet. At the time of his arrest, he had been placed in a diversionary program instead of jail in connection with an earlier forgery case.
Police are investigating whether anyone else was involved in the alleged scheme.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465
jpawloski@theolympian.com
