Two North Carolina residents and a Charleston man are currently in jail on charges of passing fake $20 bills in at least three counties including Braxton. The local investigation began on January 4 when Cpl. C.E. Westfall of the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department received a complaint from the local CVS store manager that two black males had made purchases the previous day totaling $400 with what appears to be counterfeit $20 bills.
Cpl. P.A. Huff of the Sutton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police assisted in the investigation. Huff identified the pair from store surveillance footage. The State Trooper told Deputy Westfall that he had helped Clay County officers arrest the pair the previous day on unrelated charges in that county. Cpl. Huff also stated that counterfeit $20 bills had been seized from the vehicle the pair and a female suspect, were using.
Deputy Westfall contacted the Clay County Troopers and subsequent compared of the fake money discovered in Clay with that passed in Braxton County. Officers determined that the serial numbers matched. Further investigation revealed that the female was also present in the vehicle when the purchases were made locally. Charges of possession of counterfeit currency with the intent to utter and conspiracy were filed against Lonniesha D. White, 30, of Charlotte, NC, Lloyd E. Style, Jr, 29, of Shelby, NC, and Jurmel T. Williams, 38, Charleston, WV.
Braxton County Magistrate David Singleton arraigned the trio on the Braxton County charges where their bond was set at $25,000 each cash only. All three were lodged in the Central Regional Jail to await further court proceeding. Styles and Williams also facing additional charges in both Clay and Harrison County. White has charges pending in Clay County as well.