Matthews

ELKINS — A New York man is facing felony charges in Randolph County after allegedly using multiple counterfeit $100 bills at the Dollar General stores in Valley Head and Valley Bend.

Kyle Shawn Matthews, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of fraudulent schemes and one count of counterfeiting, both felonies. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond set by Randolph County Magistrate Benjamin Shepler.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Sgt. Brice W. Cogar with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on Aug. 27, Cogar responded to a call in regard to alleged fraud at the Dollar General store in Valley Head.

Upon arrival, Cogar spoke with the store manager who stated that on Aug. 26, a man used five counterfeit $100 bills to make a transaction, the complaint states. The cashier at the time further stated that the subject used the five counterfeit bills to apply to his Chime card. The manager added that the subject was a person of interest for several similar incidents that had occurred at other Dollar Generals throughout the state.

The manager showed Cogar photos of the subject and his vehicle that had been given out to Dollar General managers by the District Manager, the complaint states. Cogar secured the counterfeit money along with statements and video footage from the time of the Aug. 26 incident.

Later on Aug. 27, Cogar responded to a call regarding counterfeit money at the Mountain Valley Bank in Mill Creek, the complaint states. Upon arrival, Cogar spoke with a teller and supervisor, who noted the teller was processing a deposit from the Dollar General store in Valley Bend when the currency was “rejected by the counter.” The currency was five $100 bills.

Cogar writes that, upon further investigation, some of the bills used at both locations had the exact same serial numbers. Cogar then traveled to the Dollar General in Valley Bend and obtained video evidence, which allegedly showed the same “black male subject” from the incident at the Valley Head store.

By use of the Randolph County Sheriff Office’s LPR Camera System, Cogar was able to locate the subject’s car traveling north on U.S. Route 219, the complaint states. The vehicle matched the description given out by the Dollar General stores’ district manager.

The vehicle allegedly came back as belonging to Matthews, the complaint states. Cogar contacted the New York State Police detachment and spoke with investigator John S. Montagnola, who provided Cogar with a New York DMV picture and driver’s license. The photo showed Matthews and allegedly matched the man seen in the surveillance footage from both the Valley Head and Valley Bend Dollar General stores. The DMV photo also allegedly matched the photos from separate fraud incidents that occurred at other Dollar General stores around the state.

Montagnola also told Cogar that Matthews was allegedly the subject in two prior requests involving counterfeit currency out of Maine, the complaint states.