GREENFIELD — Three Ohio residents passed counterfeit $100 bills at Greenfield restaurants and businesses over the weekend before leading police on a high-speed chase across the county, police said.
Felony charges related to counterfeiting and resisting law enforcement were filed Monday against Eric McCullom, Muna Nuriso and Joann Braswell, court records show. Each remained in the Hancock County Jail at press time.
Employees at the Greenfield Wal-Mart called 911 Saturday evening to report a man and two women used fake $100 bills to pay for purchases before leaving the store around 7:15 p.m., investigators said.
McCullom, 41, 237 Buffalo Court, Columbus, Ohio, climbed into a maroon Ford F150 and sped down State Street in Greenfield; he left behind the women, who fled the area on foot, police said.
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Officers attempted to stop McCullom’s car near the overpass of Interstate 70, but the driver refused to pull over, police said.
McCullom led officers on a high-speed chase on the interstate through Hancock County, at times passing other cars on the shoulder of the roadway, reports state.
The driver exited I-70 onto State Road 109 in Henry County. As the car traveled south through Knightstown, McCullom reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hours, reports state.
Officers used stop sticks to slow McCullom’s car near the intersection of State Road 3 and County Road 600N.
The suspect tried to run from officers on foot but was stopped by a police dog, investigators said. McCullom was treated at Hancock Regional Hospital for a bite wound to his right leg, officials said.
Meanwhile, Greenfield Police officers searched the city for the two women seen leaving Walmart with McCullom, reports state.
As officers chased McCullom on the interstate, workers at several businesses along State Street, including Bath and Body Works, Burger King and Taco Bell, called 911 to say two women had used fake $100 to make purchases.
Muna Nuriso, 26, 4442 East Ave., Columbus, Ohio, and Joann Braswell, 26, 1225 S. 22nd St., Columbus, Ohio, were found in the 1600 block of North State Street, near the two fast-food restaurants.
Prosecutors charged McCullom with one Level 6 felony count of resisting law enforcement; one Level 6 felony count of possession of marijuana; and one Class C misdemeanor of reckless driving, court records show.
Nuriso and Braswell each face one Level 6 felony count of counterfeiting, court records show.
The case remains under investigation by the Greenfield Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call 317-477-4410.