Two women and one man, from Rockland, Sheffield and Bairdsville, N.B., have been charged in connection with an investigation into the use of counterfeit money in the Perth-Andover and Woodstock First Nations regions.
On December 26, 2023, the Western Valley Region RCMP received a report that an individual had attempted to purchase cigarettes using counterfeit money, at a business on Muwin Lane, on Woodstock First Nation.
On January 1, 2024, police received a report that an individual had used counterfeit money to pay for gas at a business on Route 122 in Meductic.
On January 2, a business in Hartland had been broken into and several items were stolen. The vehicle that was used in the theft was a pickup truck that had been stolen on December 24.
On January 4, police received another report that a woman had used counterfeit money to pay for gas at a business in Perth-Andover. The woman was driving the same truck that had been stolen, and was involved in the theft on January 2, in Hartland.
Later the same day, a member located the stolen truck at a residence in the Perth-Andover region while on patrol. When members pulled into the driveway, three individuals began running towards the residence. Police pursued the individuals on foot, and were able to arrest all three – a 30-year old woman, a 22-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old man – without incident.
Subsequent to the arrests, police conducted a search of the residence and recovered many of the items that had been stolen from the business in Hartland on January 2.
On January 5, the three individuals appeared in Woodstock Provincial Court by way of tele-remand:
- Regis Bowmaster was charged with resisting or obstructing a peace officer, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. He was later released from custody, and will appear in court at a later date.
- Victoria King was charged with failure to comply with a release order, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. She remains in custody, and is scheduled to return to court on January 10.
- Felicia Fulton was charged with theft of gas, possession of counterfeit money, using counterfeit money, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and failure to comply with a probation order. She remains in custody, and returned to court on January 8.
The investigation is continuing, and police are reminding local merchants and their employees to examine and verify any currency that is given to them, and to report any suspicious bills. For more information on detecting counterfeit bills and what to do if you receive one, visit the Bank of Canada's webpage about counterfeit prevention.