Counterfeit money operation discovered

Published 8:34 am Tuesday, May 4, 2010

WINTON – Five counterfeit $1 bills led to multiple arrests and four felony charges here last week.

Hertford County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dexter Hayes received a complaint on April 27 from Duck Thru #18 in Winton that counterfeit bills had been passed at the location the night before.

“We had received complaints that counterfeit bills had been passed at the Family Mart in Winton, the Duck Thru in Winton and at two locations in Murfreesboro,” Deputy Hayes said.

During the investigation, Hayes received information that led him to a pair of suspects in the case. He located those subjects Thursday night and initiated a traffic stop.

Two men were arrested based on the information from the traffic stop and previous investigation.

Latreal Dewann Ashe of Ahoskie was arrested and charged with possession of a counterfeit instrument and placed in the Hertford County Detention Center under a $25,000 secured bond.

Troy Robert Boyd, who was residing in Winton, was originally arrested for a probation violation that was lodged by the Norfolk (Va.) Police Department. After further investigation, he was also charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was placed in the Hertford County Detention Center under a $150,000 secured bond.

The investigation of Hayes, Lt. Will Liverman and Chief Deputy Ronnie Stallings led officers to 114 Freeland Court in Winton where they located a printer and several counterfeit bills that had been printed.

The location is the same address listed as Boyd’s place of residence.

Additional charges are pending in the incident, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“I’m very pleased with how quickly and efficiently my officers handled this investigation,” Hertford County Sheriff Juan Vaughan said. “A few counterfeit bills may not seem like much, but they can quickly escalate out of control and cost our business owners a lot of money.”