Purgatory jail staff find counterfeit $100 bills during booking

2019 stock image | File photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two suspects were arrested on warrants during a traffic stop in Hurricane Thursday, one of which faces additional charges after jail staff said they found counterfeit currency while inventorying the contents of a purse.

Tiffiny Ann Grover, 35, of Hurricane, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 15, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The arrest stems from an incident where a Hurricane Police officer patrolling State Street noticed a vehicle and then recognized the driver, who had an active warrant for his arrest.

When the officer pulled the car over in the 600 block of State Street, he noticed as he approached the car that the man was no longer in the driver’s seat after switching places with the passenger, later identified as 35-year-old  Tiffiny Ann Grover.

A records check revealed that Grover also had a warrant out of Washington County for a traffic infraction. At that point, both were taken into custody.

The officer then inventoried the vehicle prior to impound when a prescription bottle listing a man’s name that contained a broken pill was located inside of Grover’s purse.

When asked, the suspect told the officer it was given to her and that she knew what type a drug it was “because she researched it,” the officer noted in the report.

The suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility on the warrant and during the booking process, corrections officers located two $100 bills inside of the suspect’s purse that appeared suspicious.

The watermarks did not match and the color was off, as was the texture of the paper the bills were printed on.

David Edward Staples, 50, of LaVerkin, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 15, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The officer then added the two counts of forgery to the list of offenses that were forwarded to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

The second occupant in the car during the traffic stop on State Street, David Staples, 50, of LaVerkin, was arrested on a warrant issued Wednesday after he failed to appear in 5th District Court for a waiver hearing, court records show.

That case involves an elderly man who reported that his credit/debit card information was being used to purchase items over the internet. A review of the man’s bank statements revealed there were 24 separate transactions totaling nearly $1,600, eight of which involved money that was transferred from the card to different individuals using social media in November, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

The man also told police that he confronted the suspect, who he said admitted to taking $900 out of his account and promised to pay the money back. The man said he has received $70 of the money taken at the time he reported the incident to police.

When officers attempted to speak to the suspect who was already in jail at the time on an unrelated felony drug charge, Staples refused to answer questions, and he was later charged with two third-degree felonies, including unlawful use of a financial transaction card and knowingly using false financial transaction card for credit/goods, court records indicate.

Staples remains in custody on $10,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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