Two suspects in a counterfeit bill scheme were arraigned last Thursday in Muskegon County. Austin Thomas, 23, of Grand Rapids and Hudsonville resident Brandon Jeurink, 39, were arrested by Whitehall Police, with the assistance of Montague Police and the Michigan State Police. The suspects are alleged to have passed thousands of dollars’ worth of fake $100 bills throughout Muskegon County. Several police agencies, including the Secret Service, were also looking for the suspects.
The arrest came Tuesday, May 14, about 8:30 p.m., as investigators from Whitehall and Montague worked together to identify and locate the suspects. A Montague officer, following a hunch, discovered their vehicle in Whitehall Township. A Michigan state trooper later stopped the vehicle on Peterson Road in Whitehall, which resulted in the capture of the first suspect. A second suspect fled the stop and avoided capture. A third suspect was located by Whitehall officers at the hotel where they had been staying.
A search warrant was executed on the hotel room and significant evidence of the counterfeit operation was seized from the room.
The suspects were charged with multiple counts of counterfeiting and additional drug possession charges are pending lab testing on suspected methamphetamine. A warrant is being sought for the suspect who fled.
The police chiefs of both towns credit the cooperation, initiative, investigative skills and hard work of the officers of Montague and Whitehall for solving these cases.
