Man charged with counterfeiting for using fake money to pay at local store

A warrant with a $1,000 cash only bond has been issued for the arrest of Matthew E. Young of West Plains involving a misdemeanor case of counterfeiting. 

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin at 9:10 a.m. March 8, the sheriff’s office was notified of counterfeit $20 bills being passed in Bakersfield. 

“I arrived at Evans Kwik Stop #1 and spoke with the store clerk who advised around [8:50 a.m.], a white male individual traveling from the east pulled into the Evan’s Kwik Stop parking lot and pulled to gas pump #8 proceeded to pump fuel and walk into the convenience store. The male individual was described as a white male with a hat, dark beard and dark colored clothes. The unidentified male bought a bag of Skittles, two marijuana pipes and fuel. The male pulled out a money clip and paid the convenience store with two counterfeit $20 bills. The male subject left the store and traveled east,” the sheriff’s report says. 

After the man left, the store clerk noticed that the two bills have “For Motion Picture Purposes Only” printed in four different locations, and the serial numbers on the bill were the same. 

On May 12, the sheriff made contact with the clerk and asked her to identify on the suspect. The woman made a positive ID of Matthew Young of West Plains as the suspect who passed the bills.