Chesterton Police are warning local businesses to beware of counterfeit $100 bills, after two more were passed on Sunday at the Walgreen’s at 580 Indian Boundary Road.

According to police, at 4:15 p.m. a male subject purchased a Netspend reload card for $190 and a couple of other small items, including a 12-volt car charger, for a total bill of $206.96. The man then paid for most of his $206.96 purchase with two $100 bills.

Later in the evening the clerk was counting his drawer and noticed that the two $100 bills “did not feel quite right,” police said.

A closer inspection revealed the bills to be altered $5 bills. “The embedded strips read “USA FIVE” and President Lincoln’s holographic image (instead of President Franklin) appears when the bills are held up to a bright light source.”

Police put Walgreen’s loss at $200.

Only a day before, on Saturday, a man passed two phony $100 bills at the Kmart at 750 Indian Boundary Road, on that occasion buying a MoneyPak card valued at $195.

In both incidents, the suspect is described as a black male. Video surveillance footage shot at Walgreen’s shows a man of average build and height, wearing a white v-neck shirt, stonewashed blue jeans with a rip in the right knee, an extra-wide watchband on his left wrist, and white tennis shoes.

Posted 6/6/2012