PORT TOWNSEND — More than a week after a man dropped seven counterfeit $100 bills on unwitting Port Townsend merchants, authorities are still looking for the suspect’s whereabouts.
“We are still trying to desperately identify the suspect,” Port Townsend Police Sgt. Ed Green said.
The bogus-buck passer has been described as a thin Hispanic man, between 5-foot-4 and 5-foot-7 inches tall, in his mid- to early 20s with good manners — he reportedly acted politely and was friendly.
He has short black hair with “kind of a spike to it,” with a Spanish accent and a bright, white smile. He is reported to be driving either a white Ford Aerostar van or a white pickup truck.
Tips can be called in to a Crimestoppers 24-hour hot line at 800-222-8477 or to 9-1-1.
Police still don’t believe they have to look far.
“We suspect the individual is a local,” Green said Monday.
Secret Service role
The federal Secret Service office in Seattle is taking an “active role” in apprehending and arresting the suspect, Green said.
A grainy security camera photo plus descriptions from witnesses are all authorities have to go on at this time, he said.
The photo was taken as the man was passing the one of the fake bills at the Mad Hatter store on Water Street, but it barely reveals the suspect’s face. Police produced and released it late last week on a Crimestoppers poster that is being posted around the county.
Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for a tip leading to the man’s arrest
Green has encouraged merchants to play it safe and carefully examine large bills, even rejecting them if they have doubts.
Other merchants reporting being handed fake bills Jan. 13 included McDonald’s on East Sims Way at Haines Street, Artisans on Taylor and Vagabond Arts on Taylor Street, and Earthenworks, Port Townsend Gallery and Wildernest outdoor store on Water Street.
A clerk at Penny Saver Market on Sims Way rejected a bill from a man who fit the witnesses’ description.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.