Alert Solvang business owners this week helped the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department find and arrest a group of out-of-towners who paid with counterfeit bills at several locations in Santa Maria and Solvang.
Four people, all with connections with the Bakersfield area, were arrested for allegedly victimizing at least six businesses, sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said Friday.
Sheriff’s deputies responded at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Copenhagen and First Street in Solvang on a report of several subjects attempting to pass counterfeit $100 bills, Hoover said.
She said several business owners allegedly victimized by the same crew of counterfeiters provided deputies with information that led authorities to find the suspects inside a parked vehicle.
Deputies arrested Tanya Lee Rose, 40, Melissa Jones, 42, and Doreen Rowland, 48 — all of Bakersfield — and Thomas Berchtold, 40, a San Luis Obispo resident who formerly lived in Bakersfield, Hoover said.
They were taken into custody without incident.
All four were charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of multiple counterfeit $100 bills, and conspiracy to commit a felony, Hoover said.
She said they were also in possession of numerous “washed” bills and other materials, which could have been used to counterfeit more bills.
Because of the sophistication of the counterfeit bills, Hoover said, deputies notified the U.S Secret Service, which will conduct its own investigation.
She commended the Solvang business owners who reported the incident right away and assisted deputies with locating the suspects before they were able to get away.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.