Local man facing forgery charges

A man is in custody after allegedly attempting to pay for $1 and $4 dessert items at the Rally’s drive-thru with counterfeit $20 bills.

Rickey Moore, 36, was booked at the Monroe County Jail. He is facing preliminary charges of conspiracy to commit forgery and, after police found Moore to be in possession of what they believed to be heroin, possession of a controlled substance.

Bond is set at $10,000 surety and $500 cash.

On Sunday evening, Moore and a 28-year-old woman reportedly drove a moped through the Rally’s drive-thru, 550 S. Walnut St.

Moore initially ordered a $4 dessert from the menu, Bloomington Police Department Sgt. Joseph Crider said, and had the woman riding with him paid for it with a $20 bill.

Moore allegedly placed a second order for a $1 dessert and again had the woman pay for it with another $20 bill.

A third transaction took place in which the woman asked for change for another $20 bill, Crider said.

The drive-thru clerk made change, became suspicious shortly thereafter and then alerted the Rally’s manager of the three transactions.

Police arrived at Rally’s at about 11 p.m. after being contacted about possible counterfeit currency.

In the process of investigating the incident, the officer learned about an
incident earlier that day where a different local business reported counterfeit currency.

Officers compared the serial numbers on the bills from both incidents, which led them to believe the incidents could be related, Crider said.

Police later made a traffic stop involving a moped driven by a man initially thought to have no connection to the reports of counterfeit currency. Upon being interviewed and searched, police found him to be in possession of a counterfeit $20 bill. The man provided police with Moore’s name and said he took the bill from Moore when it fell out of his pocket during an earlier encounter.

The man led officers to a room at the University Inn, 2601 N. Walnut St., where police located Moore and the 28-year-old woman. Moore admitted to paying for desserts at Rally’s with the bills but claimed he did not know they were counterfeit.

However, based on the manner in which the transactions occurred, Crider said police believed Moore knew they were counterfeit.

Upon searching Moore, police found him to be in possession of a substance they believed to be heroin.
A probable cause affidavit has been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for the 28-year-old woman. The case remains active as additional suspects may have been involved, Crider said.
 
— Kirsten Clark