An arrest warrant has been issued on a Batesville man wanted for counterfeiting.
It may be the easiest counterfeiting case to solve that the Independence County Sheriff’s Department has had in some time.
Deputies were dispatched to the Littlefield Express on Ashley Drive on Feb. 3 in reference to a counterfeit $100 bill.
After gathering information at the convenience store, Sgt. Michael Moody was confronted by a store employee who wanted to talk. Austin D. Compton, 19, a cashier at the store, told Sgt. Moody that he was the one that cashed the counterfeit $100 bill, according to court documents. Compton wrote in a statement that he did it because he needed smaller bills (twenties) so he and his friend could purchase “vape juice.”
Moody said the counterfeit bill had been washed to the point that it was torn. The reason for washing the bill was to remove what appears to be Chinese symbols on the left front side and back of the bill. However, Moody said the bill can clearly be identified as counterfeit.
Compton is charged with forgery in the first degree — a felony. His bond has been set at $5,000.
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