VANCOUVER, Wash. - A man got his mother to try to post bail with $500 in poorly made counterfeit bills from his wallet, city police and Clark County authorities say.
The episode began when Trilane A. Ludwig, 24, of Vancouver, was arrested after a traffic stop early New Year's Day for reasons that were not given in a police report.
His mother, Angela R. Beckham, 44, of Vancouver, picked up his car and his dog, and police also gave her Ludwig's wallet for safekeeping.
At 5:30 a.m. Ludwig asked his mother to bail him out with money in his wallet. She handed $500 to a clerk, who saw the money was phony, told her to wait and called police.
The police report, made available Monday, described the counterfeit bills as bad copies that were the wrong size.
When asked by police whether she knew it was funny money, Beckham said she was surprised but should have known because she works as a cashier.
Ludwig also said he didn't know the money was fake and claimed he got it from someone to whom he sold a car but was unable to describe the person or give the purported buyer's full name.
The case has been referred to the Secret Service and to county prosecutors for a decision on whether to file charges, and Ludwig remained in jail. Beckham said she wasn't going to shell out any real cash to bail him out.
Another entry for the 'dumb criminal of the year' award
The episode began when Trilane A. Ludwig, 24, of Vancouver, was arrested after a traffic stop early New Year's Day for reasons that were not given in a police report.
His mother, Angela R. Beckham, 44, of Vancouver, picked up his car and his dog, and police also gave her Ludwig's wallet for safekeeping.
At 5:30 a.m. Ludwig asked his mother to bail him out with money in his wallet. She handed $500 to a clerk, who saw the money was phony, told her to wait and called police.
The police report, made available Monday, described the counterfeit bills as bad copies that were the wrong size.
When asked by police whether she knew it was funny money, Beckham said she was surprised but should have known because she works as a cashier.
Ludwig also said he didn't know the money was fake and claimed he got it from someone to whom he sold a car but was unable to describe the person or give the purported buyer's full name.
The case has been referred to the Secret Service and to county prosecutors for a decision on whether to file charges, and Ludwig remained in jail. Beckham said she wasn't going to shell out any real cash to bail him out.
Another entry for the 'dumb criminal of the year' award