A Northwest Arkansas man recently was arrested after allegedly attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at an Ashdown, Ark., convenience store.
Joseph Fowler, 37, of Fort Smith faces several felony charges, Ashdown Police Chief Mark Ardwin said.
The case started when police were summoned to EZ Mart South store regarding a man attempting to pass counterfeit currency. According to witnesses, when the man left the store, he got into a vehicle and traveled north on U.S. Highway 71.
Officers went to EZ Mart North and found the suspect vehicle but were unable to find the driver, Ardwin said. Patrolmen reviewed surveillance video from the store and discovered the suspect left the vehicle and fled on foot to a wooded area behind the store.
The man later broke into a vacant house east of EZ Mart North but fled out the back door when officers began to search the house, Ardwin said.
The police found the man hiding in the woods and arrested him without incident. He later was identified as Fowler.
Officers recovered a computer, hard drive, printer and a sheet of counterfeit money inside the vehicle, Ardwin said.