OXFORD, Ohio - A counterfeit crime spree seems to have spread from Indiana into Ohio after a man passed $700 in bogus money at the Oxford Walmart store.
Five to six Walmarts have been targeted in Indiana and at least two in Ohio, police said.
Now police think they're onto him. They think the man pictured above is the one using fake $50 bills at Walmarts and has crossed over from Indiana into Ohio.
The man is said to have used the fake bills to buy two iPads at the Oxford store.
"Fourteen counterfeit $50 bills indicate he spent some time," says Oxford police Sgt. Jon Varley. "This is probably not his first time or first attempt at this."
Police believe the man had just arrived from Richmond, Indiana, the previous day.
"We believe that he might also be a suspect in several similar thefts around the Indiana and Ohio area," Varley said.
After he got away with it in Oxford, he drove down the road to Fairfield Township and tried to buy an iPad at the Walmart there. But employees thought something was fishy and called police,
"I think he saw the officer and he went out a side door," said Fairfield Township Chief Matt Fruchey. "He saw him going across the lot and but then he lost him."
Fruchey said the crime spree fits a typical M.O.
"Especially on counterfeiting, it's usually not done just at one place," he said. "They'll hit a region and hit several places quickly and then move on and hit another region."
Both agencies are encouraging store clerks to take a close look at the bills they're handed.
"Take the time to check the bills with the pens. I know sometimes it becomes inconvenient to do so if there's a line or something like that. But it would be a whole lot better to catch it right away and it only takes a few seconds."
If you have any information that can help police, call Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
