Counterfeit bills passed at local restaurant

 

January 6, 2019



An employee at a local fast food restaurant was facing a dilemma. He accepted two $100 bills in payment for two small purchases. The currency turned out to be counterfeit, and company rules required the change he handed out, over $190, to be taken out of his paycheck.

According to court documents, Alva Police Officer John Caviness was dispatched to McDonalds in Alva on Nov. 13 for a report of counterfeit currency. He spoke to the manager and the employee who had taken the money. Caviness inspected the two $100 bills and found the paper did not have the correct texture and did not appear standard. When he examined the back, he saw imprinted red lettering in a Chinese dialect. He took possession of the bills for evidence.

Caviness questioned John Ozga, the employee who accepted the money. Ozga said a man he recognized came into McDonalds with his girlfriend. The girlfriend ordered a Happy Meal and fries, paying with a $100 bill. He returned change of $94.12. About 15 minutes later, the woman returned to order a frappe, paying with the second $100 bill. She was given $97.81 in change.

Ozga said when his manager informed him of the discrepancies with the currency, he was told he would have $191.93 deducted from his paycheck to reimburse his employer. Caviness observed that Ozga was physically and emotionally distraught about having accepted the illegal tender and determined he was not a suspect.

Ozga described the woman who gave him the money as white, about 5-foot-3 tall, around 115 pounds and having black hair. He said he believed the couple were possibly living in the Oklahoma City area.

On Nov. 14 a manager from McDonalds called Caviness to say they might have identified the woman from the boyfriend’s social media account. They provided a picture of a woman identified as Kyle McKenzie Barnes. Caviness learned she attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He learned she was a freshman staying in South Hall. He attempted to locate her and learned from a resident assistant that Barnes had not been seen there for several weeks.

Caviness also obtained the addressed of Barnes’ mother on Hunt Street in Alva. He went there but was unsuccessful in locating her.

On Dec. 2 Caviness took the picture of Barnes and showed it to Ozga at McDonalds. Ozga said he was 100 percent positive she was the individual who passed the two counterfeit bills on Nov. 13. Caviness also showed the picture to the manager on duty who positively identified Barnes as the suspect in the incident.

Caviness learned that McDonalds staff were able to retrieve video data from Nov. 13 from two separate occasions showing Barnes at the cash register purchasing food and paying with two separate $100 bills.

Caviness obtained a phone number for Barnes on Dec. 2 and was able to make contact. When Caviness told her why he was calling, he says she did not deny involvement in the incident and said she would meet with him at the police department on Dec. 3.

Barnes met with Caviness. She said about a week after the incident an employee at McDonalds made her aware she was a suspect and the police wanted to talk to her. Asked why she did not contact police upon learning they wanted to speak to her, Barnes did not have an answer. However, she said she was pregnant and could not go to jail for this offense. She said she was currently living and working in Okeene.

Barnes said she could make arrangements to pay back money to McDonalds as soon as possible and also repay Ozga as soon as possible for the $191.93 taken from his paycheck. She said she obtained the two counterfeit $100 bills from her father while in Oklahoma City. Caviness learned the father, Christopher Lee Barnes, currently has arrest warrants and has been incarcerated for bogus checks, narcotics and theft.

Caviness informed Barnes he would be forwarding his report to the Woods County District Attorney Office and requesting a warrant for her arrest.

On Jan. 3 two charges of forgery in the second degree were filed against Kyle McKenzie Barnes, 19, of Alva. The misdemeanors carry a penalty of confinement for not more than one year and by a fine not exceeding $1,000. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

 

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