A Greenbrier County man was arrested on Wednesday, October 21, on charges partially stemming from an incident that occurred back on April 26. Ethan Travis Quinn, 20, of Morgan Drive in Ronceverte is being held at Southern Regional Jail for an alleged counterfeiting attempt, as well as a bail violation.
On Sunday, April 26, employees of the Dollar General, located at 233 Nicolas St. in Rupert, contacted police to report an individual attempting to use counterfeit bills within their store.
Officers responded to the Dollar General, where they made contact with the suspect, later identified as Ethan Travis Quinn. According to the criminal complaint, officers questioned Quinn about the counterfeit bill, to which Quinn allegedly advised officers that he had recently received it from an ATM machine. Officers then confirmed that Quinn was not in possession of any additional counterfeit bills. Although Quinn was released at this time, officers continued on with their investigation.
Once back inside the Dollar General, the complaint states that officers were provided with the store’s video surveillance tapes. Upon review of the footage, officers witnessed Quinn allegedly attempting to use the counterfeit bill to make a purchase, according to the criminal complaint. However, the store manager identified the bill as counterfeit prior to the transaction being completed.
Before attempting to make the purchase, Quinn could be seen examining the contents of his wallet and then walking beyond the camera’s view, the complaint stated. Several moments later, the footage showed Quinn arriving back at the register with the items he had gathered throughout the store. Quinn allegedly had what appeared to be one $20 bill in his hand.
“The male (Quinn) kept the one bill in his hand throughout the transaction as if to keep it separate from the rest of his money which could be seen in his wallet. After receiving his total, the male took the one bill in his hand, and placed it with two other bills of what appeared to be U.S. currency from his wallet and handed it to the cashier,” according to the criminal complaint. “At this time, approximately 1148 hours (11:48 a.m.) the cashier received the money from Ethan Quinn and observed that one bill in which she received from Ethan Quinn for his purchase was counterfeit. The cashier then kept the counterfeit currency and notified Greenbrier County 911 for officers to respond.”
For the counterfeiting charge, Quinn is being held on a $4,000 cash only bail. He has also been charged with a bail violation in Raleigh County, for which he is being held on a $2,000 cash surety. If convicted of felony counterfeiting, Quinn could face up to 10 years incarceration.
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