Cops seek woman using counterfeit $100 bills

Police are trying to identify a woman passing fake $100 bills.

So far they've linked a female suspect to using the bills at two restaurants and possibly a Dollar General earlier this month.

Thursday evening, police say, the woman entered the Perkins Restaurant on Cypress Gardens Boulevard and placed a take-out order.

While paying for the order, investigators say she used a counterfeit $100 bill. The restaurant employee quickly identified it as fake and refused to accept it.

Shortly after, investigators believe the same woman attempted to place another take-out order at Hurricane's Bar and Grill less than a mile from the suspect's first stop.

"I had a server come up to me with a $100 bill she needed change for," restaurant manager Jenny Womble said. "It was obviously not a real bill. There were no ridges on the collar of the picture. The sides of the bill looked like it was maybe cut with scissors. It wasn't like a straight side. Then I compared it to another bill that I had in my drawer, and it was almost a quarter inch smaller than a normal-sized $100 bill."

Womble called Winter Haven police, but the female suspect left long before they arrived.

Investigators released surveillance video of the suspect described as a white female between 30 and 40 years of age, with a medium to heavyset build and bleached blonde hair. She has tattoos on her left shoulder area, right forearm and across her chest.

"We've gotten some leads as a result of putting that out, and we're currently looking into those leads," Police Chief Charlie Bird said.