A Columbia City man was arrested after a good Samaritan gave him change for a $100 bill only to find out the bill was counterfeit.
Rocky Dewayne O’Connell, 33, Columbia City, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 10:53 a.m. Friday for counterfeiting, a level 6 felony. His preliminary bond was set at $5,750.
Court documents say that on March 7, a North Webster Police Department officer responded to a counterfeit bill at Circle K gas station.
The cashier told the officer that a man – later identified as O’Connell – entered the store and wanted to break a $100 bill. The cashier said they did not have enough money on hand to break large bills, but a customer offered to break the $100 bill for O’Connell and they exchanged monies.
After the exchange, O’Connell immediately left the store and the customer realized the $100 bill was counterfeit.
A day later, North Webster Police Chief Greg Church spoke with the customer who provided the fake $100 to him. By looking at the bill, Church determined it was counterfeit.
Circle K’s surveillance video showed O’Connell arrive in a red Pontiac Firebird that had two occupants. O’Connell and the other subject, Anthony Pollard, were identified.
On March 14, a NWPD officer overhead radio traffic that Pollard was involved in a traffic stop on Backwater Road. The officer arrived at the scene and saw the same red Firebird involved in the March 7 incident. Along with Pollard, the passenger in the vehicle was identified as O’Connell.
O’Connell admitted to the NWPD officer that he was at Circle K with a $100 bill that the cashier was unable to provide change for, but a customer gave him the change for it.
O’Connell said he was homeless at the time and had no job or money.
