01/26/17 — Counterfeit money passed in Mount Olive

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Counterfeit money passed in Mount Olive

By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on January 26, 2017 12:30 PM

MOUNT OLIVE -- Two men allegedly passed counterfeit money at Joseph Mart in Mount Olive this week.

Unlike previous incidents, the money has not been reported to be of motion picture use at this time.

According to a report from the Mount Olive Police Department, the two men entered the store, located at 401 S. Church St., Mount Olive Monday around 8:30 a.m. and used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a Powerade drink, two honey buns and a $5 lottery ticket.

According to reports from about a month ago, fake money began circulating in Mount Olive between September and December of 2016. The counterfeit cash, made to look realistic for use in films, looks real from a distance but up close reads "for motion picture use only" at the top of both sides.

This most recent instance does not seem to be related to those earlier reports.

A store employee noticed the money was fake after the two men left the store, and she called the police to inform officers the men were young, had dreads and wore black hoodies. The report said an officer was unable to locate the men.

Chief Tommy Brown with the police department said the money has not been identified at this time as the motion picture money which a man used last September at the Friendly Mart.