Searcy County Sheriff Kenny Cassell reported that Joan Smith of Miami, Oklahoma has been arrested for using counterfeit $50 bills to make purchases at businesses in St. Joe and Leslie.

According to Cassell, in February, a woman matching Smith’s description went to the Dollar General Store in St. Joe and purchased a $500 worth of gift cards using $50 bills. Later, she went to the Dollar General Store in Leslie, and made a purchase using the same denominations that were used in St. Joe.

After the store manager took the bills to a bank in Western Grove, he learned that they were counterfeit and contacted the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office, who issued an alert for information leading to Smith’s arrest.

On March 5, the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office made contact with a detective in Oklahoma and learned that Smith, who was wanted in Searcy County for passing counterfeit bills, had been arrested in Miami, Oklahoma. The case is currently being worked at the federal level by the U.S. Secret Service.