Woman Caught With Counterfeit Cash In Amarillo
A reported stolen vehicle led Amarillo Police to more than they expected. As the vehicle was being recovered, officers got a surprise in the form of counterfeit money, including printed copies and the printer used to print them.
It all started Sunday afternoon with a stolen vehicle report. Officers were dispatched to the 3100 block of S Taylor where the owner reported she had parked her 1999 Mercury in the driveway on Saturday evening. The following afternoon, she went outside and didn't see the car in her driveway. This spawned an attempt to locate the vehicle by APD.
Not even 2 hours afterwards, officers were responding to the area of NW 9th and N Louisiana on the recovered stolen Mercury. As they arrived, a handful of people were surrounding the stolen vehicle, but pointing at a black 2001 Jeep that was leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Officers were informed the Jeep was involved in the theft and that there was 2 occupants, male and female. Officers pursued after the Jeep and stopped it at NW 11th and Tennessee, only to find a female driving, no male passenger.
"Officers observed what appeared to be an illegal knife sitting in the console between the drivers and passenger seat. The driver was removed and placed in the backseat of a patrol car. Officers did recover an illegal 6” double bladed knife from the vehicle. Upon further investigation and inventory of the Jeep, officers located 3 counterfeit $20 bills. Also in the Jeep, officers recovered a printer and an additional 5 copies of counterfeit $20 bills that had not been cut out yet. All these items were taken and booked as evidence. The driver is identified as Michelle Nicole Saldana H/F 21. Saldana was transported to Potter County where she was booked into jail on 3 charges of Forgery Government/National Instrument/Money and one count of Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon."
The stolen Mercury was returned to the owner and both incidents remain under investigation.
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