Crime & Safety
The Worst Counterfeiters Ever Strike in West Des Moines?
Police say $20 bills used to buy a $500 suit were immediately recognizable as counterfeit. Sorting out the identity of man who passed them wasn't so easy.
A pair of men allegedly tried to buy a suit with counterfeit money Saturday afternoon at department store, then reportedly gave police false names.
By the time police arrived about 4:10 p.m., the suspects were in the south parking lot of , 101 Jordan Creek Pkwy. The Dillard’s clerk told authorities she was suspicious that the $20 bills one of the men used to pay for a $500 suit were phony after she marked the bills with a special pen used to detect counterfeit money.
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She told police that the customer and his companion seemed surprised when she revealed the results of the test, and they walked away.
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The two men were quickly detained and placed in separate squad cars.
After of the suspects exited the police car, officers found several $20 bills stuffed in crevices in the back seat of the patrol vehicle.
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Print on Bills Not Centered, Incorrect Paper Used
“Every one of these bills looked fraudulent,” Officer Ben Woods wrote in his report. “They were printed on paper that was not consistent with regular dollar bill paper. The print of the bill itself was not centered on the paper. Several of the same bills had the same serial numbers on them.”
One of those arrested was identified as Devin David Overton, 19, of 920 Amos Ave., Des Moines. He had an outstanding Polk county warrant for second-degree theft.
The second man was identified as his brother, James Overton Jr., 24, also of 920 Amos Ave.
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