A 36-year-old Seymour man with a criminal history of counterfeiting was arrested on that charge Tuesday, police report.
William Eugene Dillard faces a Level 6 felony of counterfeiting following his April 22 arrest by the Seymour Police Department.
Chief Bill Abbott said three printers and between $60 and $100 in counterfeit money were recovered following an investigation.
Abbott said the counterfeit money was some of the best Seymour officers have recovered.
“These are probably the most realistic counterfeit money we’ve ever come across,” he said. “Some of the procedures he would use would fool the public.”
Dillard told police he used ultraviolet tattoo ink to make strips on bills and would cover money in wood lacquer so it wouldn’t smudge, according to a probable cause affidavit signed by Officer Blake McCrary.
Dillard told police he burned about $2,000 worth of counterfeit money before they arrived, according to court documents.
During an interview with police, Dillard said selling the fake bills at a lower price than their value gave him an opportunity to pay for his rent at Todd’s Place, a transitional housing facility in Seymour.
Dillard told police he gave the fake money to friends to help them so they wouldn’t have to rob people, according to court documents.
When police arrived to interview Dillard at his residence, he had sheets of paper with $20 bills printed on one side, McCrary wrote. He told police he was “just messing around” with the bills.
Dillard has a history of counterfeiting money. The most recent was in Johnson County, where he was sentenced Jan. 31, 2018, to a year and a half in jail, according to court records. He received 54 days credit in that case.
He has two cases from Jackson County, including an Oct. 2, 2017, sentencing for a year with 63 days credit. He was sentenced to a year Dec. 7, 2016, for counterfeiting. He received 69 days credit in that case.
Dillard was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 5:08 p.m. Monday without bond.
A Level 6 felony is punishable by six months to two and a half years in jail if convicted.