Prineville man accused of passing counterfeit bill

A Prineville man has been arrested on a forgery charge, accused of passing one of several counterfeit bills that have turned up in the area in recent days, police said Tuesday.

Anthony Leroy Kinsey, 45, was contacted by police on Saturday evening around 7:30 p.m. after one of the reports of forged currency, said Police Chief Eric Bush.

Kinsey is accused of passing a fake $100 bill to an unwitting citizen in exchange for change in smaller, legitimate bills.

When the victim tried to use the $100 bill, he learned it was forged and immediately reported it to police, Bush said.

Kinsey was taken to the Crook County Jail, where he was lodged on a charge of first-degree forgery and a parole violation charge.

The investigation is continuing, the police chief said, and “additional arrests and/or charges are possible.”

Last week, police said several crudely photocopied, counterfeit $20 and $100 bills had been passed at Prineville gas stations and convenience stores in the previous week.

In most cases, the bills weren’t spotted until the business tried to make a bank deposit, said police Capt. Michael Boyd.

As of last Wednesday, $280 in fake bills had been passed in the city, and “we anticipate more bills will be discovered,” Boyd said.

Police encouraged all businesses to carefully scrutinize bills, and to use “assistive devices” such as counterfeit detection pens to check currency.

Anyone who receives or is aware of forged U.S. currency being created or passed is encouraged to contact Prineville police Det. James Peterson or Sgt. Ray Cuellar at (541) 447-4168.

You can also use the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-TIPS, or the form you can find on KTVZ.COM’s Crime Stoppers page. You can remain anonymous, and you could be eligible for a cash reward.