Woman Sought For Passing Fake $100 Bill Arrested With Meth, Heroin: Police

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A woman who was sought by police after allegedly using a fake $100 bill to purchase goods last week from a bake sale outside a Cotati grocery store, then speeding off with the $80 she received in change, was arrested Sunday in Rohnert Park following a traffic stop that led to her whereabouts, according to Cotati police.

Michelle Kruse, for whom police had obtained a $75,000 arrest warrant, was located inside the garage of her residence, where coincidentally, she was allegedly found in possession of 2.9 grams of heroin and 3.3 grams of methamphetamine along with paraphernalia indicative that she was involved in the sale of the drugs, Cotati police said in a statement Monday.

Through surveillance images disseminated via social media and media outlets, the public had helped identify Kruse as the woman suspected of passing the counterfeit bill to a student who was manning a Rancho Cotate High School music boosters' bake sale July 10 outside Oliver's Market, police said.

• RELATED COVERAGE: WANTED: Police Say Woman Used Fake $100 Bill At Cotati Bake Sale

The traffic stop that ultimately led to her arrest occurred just before 5:30 p.m. Sunday on Old Redwood Highway in Cotati. According to police, Officer Baudelia Gallo was on routine patrol when he observed a BMW sedan traveling northbound on the roadway and decided to run a license plate check -- revealing that the registration stickers on the license plate were fraudulent.

Upon stopping the BMW, Gallo determined through a records check that the two people inside the car were both on probation with terms that allowed officers to conduct a routine search of the vehicle.

The search allegedly yielded numerous access cards bearing the name of Dana Hamilton -- an alias Kruse was known to use -- and Gallo was able to determine Kruse's location through information gathered from the vehicle's occupants, police said.

Assisted by Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers, Cotati police went to her residence and took her into custody without incident.

In addition to heroin and meth, Kruse, 41, was also allegedly found in possession of a digital scale, fresh packaging bags and numerous methamphetamine pipes.

"This quantity of heroin and methamphetamine was sufficient to charge Kruse with possession of heroin for sale as well as possession of methamphetamine for sale," Cotati police said.

Kruse was booked into Sonoma County jail on suspicion of making/passing counterfeit currency, possession of counterfeit currency and the drug-related charges. Police say she also had three $25,000 warrants out for her arrest: one for alleged forgery, one for failure to appear in traffic court and one for driving without a license.

Jail records showed Kruse remained behind bars Monday, with her arraignment set for Tuesday afternoon.

Image courtesy of Cotati Police Department