Fraud

On January 31st at around 11:45 a.m., police were dispatched to 1415 N. Lacrosse Street for a report of a male suspect that had attempted to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. As police arrived, they observed a person matching the suspect description in the area of 1313 N. Lacrosse Street. The subject was standing next to a trashcan. As police inspected the trash can, they located counterfeit $20 and $10 bills in the garbage. As police spoke to the man, he initially gave officers a false name. He would later be identified as 36-year-old Charles Clifford of Rapid City. The original reporting party positively identified Clifford as the suspect who attempted to pass the original $20 bill. Clifford was placed under arrest, and a search the trash can turned up a baggie containing a crystalline substance and a syringe containing a clear liquid substance. Both the baggie and the syringe were located in proximity to the counterfeit bills, and both tested positive for methamphetamine. Clifford was placed under arrest for Possession of a Forged Instrument, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Impersonation to Deceive Law Enforcement, a Parole Hold, and Warrants. He was transported to the Pennington County Jail.