Something Looked Phony About Trash at Convenience Store

A man who employees of a West Des Moines Convenience store routinely “cans” – that is, rummage through the store’s trash receptacles in search of refundable bottles and cans – found something he thought police might be interested in seeing.

So he flagged down West Des Moines Police Officer Amanda St. George as she was patroling in the 700 block of Valley West Drive, at 6:04 a.m. Friday, and showed her what he had found in the trash cans at Kum & Go convenience store at 3501 E.P. True Parkway.

“He produced 16 pieces of paper that had been ripped up,” St. George reported. “On 13 of them were photocopies of $20 and $50 bills. … He thought it was odd and wanted to turn them over.”

The man speculated that the papers had been put there within half an hour of him flagging down the officer because they were on the top of the refuse in the trash can.

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The clerk at the convenience store said he didn’t see any counterfeit money being used in that night or any unusual activity.

There were four distinct serial numbers of the bills, all appearing to have been printed on the same sheet of paper, according to the report

The phony bills were placed in evidence at the police department.