Walmart shopper charged with forgery after handing cashier $1,500 in counterfeit bills for purchase

A Walmart shopper was taken into custody late Monday after $1,500 in suspected counterfeit bills were handed to a cashier, the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office said in a release Thursday.

DeFarta Micken, 41, was charged with forgery in the first degree after his 7:03 p.m. arrest at 3515 Victory Drive in Columbus. He was held in the Muscogee County for a hearing in Municipal Court.

Clinton Powell, a deputy for the marshal’s office, was working part-time security at the store when an asset protection manager told him that a man was at a register and he passed $1,500 in suspected counterfeit money to the cashier for merchandise. The manager took the cash to customer service where a reader confirmed the money was counterfeit.

While the manager was at customer service, the suspect attempted to leave the store without the money or his merchandise. Powell stopped the man and talked with him.

Micken was taken into custody without incident and charged after results of the reader were confirmed.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Walmart shopper charged with forgery after handing cashier $1,500 in counterfeit bills for purchase."