Booking photo for Paul P. Dean (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).
LOGAN — A 25-year-old Logan man has been sentenced to probation for passing counterfeit money at two stores. Paul P. Dean was also ordered to complete treatment and write letters of apology to the businesses.
Dean was sentenced during a virtual hearing in 1st District Court Monday afternoon, appearing by web conference with his attorney. He previously pleaded guilty to forgery, a third-degree felony; and, possession of a forgery device, amended to a class A misdemeanor.
Dean was arrested in May after Logan City police officers were called to a grocery store on report of a male individual who allegedly used $300 in counterfeit $20 bills to purchase a gift card. The purchase had occurred the day before. The fake money was detected and taken as evidence. The card was also canceled by the store after the transaction.
Security video footage showed a man matching Dean’s appearance purchasing the card.
Dean returned to the store, complaining that the card would not work, prompting the call to police. While searching him, the officer found another prepaid Visa card from a nearby retail store. A receipt showed that it also had been bought with $300 cash.
An officer responded to the store to ask about the transaction and found several counterfeit $20 bills in the register where the purchase had occurred. Security video footage again showed a man matching Dean’s appearance buying the card.
Officers later served a search warrant to Dean’s residence. They located several dozen more counterfeit bills in various denominations.
During Monday’s sentencing, Dean said he was trying to put the crimes behind him. He stated that he was on the right path in his personal life and wanted to move forward.
will@cvradio.com