Moses Lake man and woman charged with forgery

MOSES LAKE — A man and woman were charged for allegedly using fake bills at several different businesses in the Moses Lake area.

Grant County prosecutors charged Sebastian Hester, 24, of Moses Lake, and Karlianne Senn, 35, of Moses Lake, with forgery.

The charges stem from an incident on Oct. 21, when the Moses Lake Police Department received a report of a fraud at Mary Jane’s, a recreational marijuana store located in the 1000 block of West Marina Drive. Police were advised a man, alleged to be Hester, attempted to use a fake $50 bill inside the business. The suspect left the store and the reporting party was able to obtain the license plate of the vehicle he left in, which was listed as having been recently sold to Senn, according to police records.

The reporting party stated Hester had given him the fake bill and he could immediately tell the bill was fake. When the employee told Hester the bill was fake, Hester reportedly left the store and got into a vehicle with Senn.

“When I looked at the fake $50 I noticed it had a lot of writing on it. The bill was also torn and wrinkled,” wrote a officer. “(The reporting party) told me he had the suspect on video and one of his coworkers had also recognized him in the paper for being arrested on drug charges in the past.”

The investigating officer learned of other incidents around Moses Lake involving fake bills; one at Taco Bell with a fake $50 bill and another incident at Carl’s Jr. involving a fake $100 bill. The investigating officer further learned from another officer of a resident that had some play money stolen from him and that Senn had allegedly been to the man’s house in the past.

On Oct. 27, Hester and Senn were pulled over by an MLPD officer in a parking lot in Moses Lake near the intersection South Pioneer Way and East Third Avenue. Police reportedly found seven fake $100 bills in his wallet, which were allegedly a match to the bill used at Carl’s Jr. In addition, a fake $50 bill was reportedly found in Senn’s purse.

“I showed Senn a copy of the fake $50 bill used at Mary Jane’s and the fake $50 bill found in her purse. Senn told me she did not smoke weed and did not go into Mary Jane’s,” wrote a officer. “Senn told me she never used the fake bills and also denied giving Hester any of the bills.”

Hester initially denied going inside the store, but later claimed he thought the officer was referencing him going into another recreational marijuana store in Moses Lake. He admitting to going inside Mary Jane’s and claimed he asked the employee if he would accept the $50 bill when he was paying, “because he knew it felt funny,” according to police records.

Hester and Senn were previously arrested and charged in July after a raid at their Moses Lake residence turned up a large amount of drugs, ammunition and a gun.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.