PORT TOWNSEND — Police were seeking on Thursday a man who allegedly passed at least six counterfeit $100 bills to downtown Port Townsend merchants late Wednesday afternoon, prompting one employee to chase him down the street.
The FBI is expected to investigate the case, said Port Townsend Police Department Sgt. Ed Green, who has a video of the man passing a bill at Mystic Beach Studio.
Green said that the image, which is poor, has been sent to other law enforcement agencies, and he declined to release it to the public until police had examined it.
The man, who remained at large Thursday, was described as a short, thin Hispanic man in his mid- to early 20s, who was soft-spoken and polite.
“It should be said to anyone who gets one of these $100 bills to not be shy about inspecting them,” Green said.
Green and Patrol Officer Bill Corrigan, who was called to investigate the bills at about 5:12 p.m. Wednesday, said the fake bills are difficult to distinguish unless they are closely inspected.
They have some defects. The fonts are bolder, and the paper courser and thicker, than on legitimate bills.
Joe Euro, owner of the Wine Seller on Water Street, said one of his employees chased the man down Water Street toward Swain’s Outdoors after another merchant spotted the man and pointed him out to her.
Employee confronts suspect
Euro said that when the employee confronted the man, he offered her one of several $100 bills he pulled from his wallet saying, “This one is real.”
“He tried to buy her off,” and in effect admitted he was passing fakes, Euro said.
The employee fears for her safety and does not want to be identified until the man is captured and arrested, Euro said.
“It scared the crap out of me,” Euro said. “I thought this guy was going to hurt her.”
Haden Starbuck, owner of Mystic Beach Studio and who shares shop space with the Mad Hatter at 926 Water St., said the man passed a $100 to her. He bought about $40 worth of merchandise, she said.
She gave a video of him passing the bill to the police.
“I worked retail in New York and San Francisco, and nothing like this every happened before,” said Starbuck, who has been in Port Townsend retail for four years.
Merchants reporting being handed fake bills included McDonald’s on East Sims Way at Haines Street, Artisans on Taylor and Vagabond Arts on Taylor Street, and Earthenworks, Mad Hatter & Co., and Wildernest outdoor store on Water Street.
More bills may be still undiscovered and unreported, Green said.
Green said the department put out a warning to merchants through the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce to watch for the bills, and to phone police at 9-1-1 if they find one.
Green said merchants can obtain markers from their banks that will determine if a bill is fake, showing a certain color when the bill is marked.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
