On Monday night both Mother Bear's and Bucceto's Smiling Teeth reported the use of counterfeit bills. As of Wednesday morning, six more Bloomington businesses have reported the same situation.
The suspect is believed to be a black man, around 5-foot-9 and in his mid 20s, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams said. The suspect also went to Once Upon a Child, Cirilla's, Style Encore, Penn Station, O'Charley's and Cato.
According to police reports, the man bought low-priced items and then used $100 bills to pay for them. Later the businesses realized these bills were counterfeit and reported it to police.
BPD is working with the Secret Service on the situation. Kellams said all of these incidents occurred in about a three-hour period. The newly reported locations discovered the counterfeit bills later than Mother Bears or Bucceto's. Detectives are working on sending photos out to the public to help identify the suspect.
"It's likely he's traveling through the area," Kellams said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Dominick Jean
