Crime & Safety
Alert West Des Moines Clerk Spots Fake $20 Bills; Teen Suspect Says It Was a Stunt
16-year-old tells police he wanted to see if his print job would pass muster.
A 16-year-old West Des Moines youth told police that he and his friend passed two fake $20 bills at a grocery store because they “wanted to see if it would work.”
It didn’t.
An alert grocery store clerk at , 5003 E.P. True Pkwy., made the bills as counterfeit immediately after the boys, both 16, used them to buy Gatorade and a package of gum. After they’d left the store, she alerted her manager, Nicole Brodarsen, and said she didn’t think they should be charged, but they should be required to pay with “real money,” according to a report on file at the .
Police were able to determine the identity of the suspects and met with the teens and their parents. One of the youths said he “wanted to be honest,” according to investigating Officer Curtis Russell’s report, and admitted that his friend had convinced him to go along with the experiment.
That youth denied involvement initially, according to the report, but eventually admitted he had been printing counterfeit bills on his computer
“He stated that he has only made two of them, and they were decent, but made a couple that were not very good that he didn’t use,” Russell wrote.
Russell wrote in his report that the bills were obviously counterfeit, “due to the color and feel” of the paper. White paper lines around the edge were still visible, he wrote.
If you read this story, you might also like:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.