WPSO: Women attempted to use fake $100 bills
Published 2:06 pm Thursday, April 4, 2019
- Security footage captured this image of one of the suspects.
Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained felony arrest warrants for two Kentwood women after the pair attempted to defraud Washington Parish businesses with counterfeit $100 bills, according to WPSO Chief Deputy Mike Haley.
Haley said that on Tuesday, March 26, a woman went to a food and grocery establishment in Mt. Hermon and attempted to purchase several items with a counterfeit $100 bill. The clerk refused the fake money, after which the woman left the store and entered a vehicle driven by another woman. Store surveillance cameras provided images of the female in the store, Haley said.
“Shortly afterwards, the two women drove to a nearby Dollar General store where one of them purchased items with the counterfeit money, receiving change in the process,” Haley said. “The clerk then noticed the bill was fake and followed the woman to her vehicle, advising her to return the merchandise and the change she had received.
“At that time, the female customer advised the female driver of the vehicle to drive away. The clerk was able to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle in which the women were traveling.”
Haley said that with the assistance of detectives in Tangipahoa Parish, along with information posted on Facebook pages, the two women were identified as LeDonna E. Coleman, 48, and Kayla Elizabeth Johnson, 38, both residents of Kentwood.
Haley said Wednesday that WPSO detectives had obtained felony arrest warrants for the two women and were attempting to locate and arrest them on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit monetary instrument abuse.
Johnson was booked into the Washington Parish Jail on Thursday afternoon and charged with criminal conspiracy to commit monetary instrument abuse.
Haley said that Coleman was arrested Friday morning.