Saturday, November 06, 2004

two hundred dollars

Thursday, February 01, 2001
DANVILLE, Ky. (Reuters)

Police in Kentucky are looking for a customer who succeeded in paying for a $2 order at a fast-food restaurant with a phony $200 bill featuring a picture of President George W. Bush and a depiction of the White House with a lawn sign saying, "We like broccoli."

Authorities say the female cashier at a Dairy Queen in Danville even gave the culprit $198 in real money as change.

"Essentially, the story is that somebody at a drive-in ordered some food and passed a $200 novelty deal with George Bush on it," Danville Police Detective Bob Williamson said.

"At a distance it looks like a real bill, it's got the green color," Williamson said when asked how the cashier possibly could mistake it for genuine money.

The cartoonish bill was accepted on Sunday evening by the Dairy Queen cashier despite having Bush on one side and an oil well on the other. The phony bill also depicted the White House lawn with yard signs reading "U.S. deserves a tax cut," "No more scandals" and "We like broccoli," the last apparently referring to Bush's father's admitted dislike for the vegetable.

No U.S. currency has a picture of Bush, let alone a reference to liking broccoli.

Because there is no actual $200 currency, the culprit could face a charge of theft by deception but not counterfeiting, Williamson said.

teo spoke at 6:48 PM

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