Morgan Hill Police Arrest Three in Counterfeiting Scheme

By Bay City News


Two men and a woman were arrested Monday in Morgan Hill after police found a large quantity of counterfeit U.S. currency inside a hotel room, Morgan Hill police said.

The arrests followed a police investigation into a stolen vehicle found at 12:08 p.m. Monday at the Executive Inn at 16505 Condit Road in Morgan Hill's hotel row area east of U.S. Highway 101, police Sgt. Carson Thomas said.

Officers in the hotel's parking lot saw a man enter the stolen vehicle and back it into another parking space, Thomas said.

They approached and questioned the man, identified as George Haro, 26, of San Jose, and then learned from a dispatcher of a warrant for Haro's arrest as a parolee at large, Thomas said.

Another suspect, later identified as Steven Spille, 28, of Santa Cruz, tried to flee the scene and was captured a short distance from the hotel while attempting to destroy drug paraphernalia, Thomas said.

Officers then entered a room at the hotel associated with the vehicle where they found Shari Potter, 25, of San Jose, Thomas said.

Police located "a large amount" of counterfeit U.S. currency contained in Potter's property in the room, Thomas said.

Officers also recovered other items, which are not being identified, that are part of the on-going investigation, Thomas said.

Haro was arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property, being a parolee at large and being under the influence of a controlled substance, Thomas said.

Spille and Potter were arrested on suspicion of possessing counterfeit bills as well as grand theft, commercial burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance, Thomas said.

Spille also was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, destruction of evidence and violating probation, Thomas said.

Police lately have been seeing an increase in the supply of cocaine and heroin, drugs that were more prevalent in the 1980s to early 1990s, being sold illicitly in Morgan Hill, Thomas said.

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