WARWICK, RI — Officer Tyler Mobrice and two other officers were called to Best Buy Jan. 11 for a report of a man attempting to buy items with counterfeit money, arresting him after a brief chase and seizing 50 counterfeit $20 bills.
Before Mobrice arrived, he received a radio call from Officer Jonathan Byrne, already on the scene, who was speaking with the suspected counterfeiter, later identified as Kelvin Harrison, 29, of 3105 Avenue V, Apt 413, Brooklyn, NY, 11229, according to the officer’s report.
Harrsion had told the first officer he had just left DSW Shoes, where he had bought two pairs of shoes and was on his way to meet his sister, according to the report. When asked if he had used counterfeit bills to buy the shoes, Harrison denied doing so. Byrne searched Harrison, finding multiple counterfeit $20 bills, which he identified as such by the lack of reflective material on the bills.
Byrne asked Harrison to put his hands behind his back, which Harrison responded to by running away, Mobrice reported.
Mobrice ran after Harrison as he ran toward Bald Hill Road toward Webster Bank, tackling him and putting his hands in restraints with the help of Byrne, and two other officers. Harrison struggled against them despite repeated commands from the officers to submit to the arrest.
Harrsion was restrained and transported to Warwick Police Headquarter, 99 Veterans Memorial Drive, where he was charged with passing counterfeit bills and resisting arrest.
The cashier at DSW said in her statement that as Harrison paid for the shoes, something about the cash seemed “off” and she saw Byrne through the window and alerted him to the possible counterfeit bills and purchase, where Harrsion had used 12 $20 bills totaling $240 for the purchase. The cashier handed over the bills, later confirmed as counterfeit, and the receipt, according to the report.
Byrne, who was in the lot searching for man who had reportedly passed counterfeit bills at Best Buy, reported that the DSW cashier exited her store, knocked on his cruiser’s door window and pointed out Harrsion, who he then detained and searched.
At Warwick Police Headquarters, Mobrice counted another 38 counterfeit bills totaling $760, which had been seized by Byrne.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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