Middletown Township police have arrested two New Jersey men who are accused of using counterfeit bills at a local store.
Darrin Sims, 50, of Sicklerville, and Eugene Milton, 47, of Camden, were arrested recently and charged with conspiracy, theft by deception, and receiving stolen property.
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Police spoke with a woman who reported that a man had attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at the Dollar Tree. The woman felt the man would try to use the bills at other neighboring businesses and called police. The man, later identified as Sims, was described as a middle aged black male with a gray sweatshirt and jeans and a dark baseball cap.
When police arrived, they observed a black male fitting the description walking from the stores into the parking lot and holding a white plastic bag. Sims then entered the driver side of a white Ford pickup bearing New Jersey plates. A second black male passenger, later identified as Milton, was seated in the passenger seat.
According to a probable cause affidavit, when police pulled behind the vehicle, both offenders looked back at the officer, then leaned forward and hunched over. When police met with the occupants, Sims admitted to being in the store and attempting to use the bill but claimed he did not know it was fake at the time.
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Police contacted the Dollar Tree and spoke with an employee who observed Sims attempt to use the bill. She said she immediately recognized the bill as fake and later positively identified Sims as the man who tried to use it.
Authorities later learned, as noted in court documents, that both Sims and Milton had separately entered the Marshall’s department store in the shopping center several times to purchase socks and underwear with counterfeit bills.
Counterfeit bills were recovered from Marshall’s and the merchandise purchased by both men was found in plain view inside their vehicle. Police also found three counterfeit $100 bills and three counterfeit $20 bills in the vehicle’s glove compartment, court papers stated.
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Both men were taken into custody, arraigned, and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $40,000 bail.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
