BELMONT — Five young people from Iowa were arrested Thursday, Oct. 4 after reportedly passing counterfeit $100 bills at two stores in Belmont, according to the Belmont Police Department.
    Mikhayla Rose Shaffer, 18, Dubuque, was jailed pending an initial appearance in Lafayette County Circuit Court on three felony counts of forgery and one misdemeanor count of theft.
    Four juveniles with Shaffer were also arrested and booked at the jail. The juveniles, all from Dubuque, were released to their parents and referred to the Lafayette County Juvenile Intake Office for charging.
    An alert to the Lafayette County Emergency Dispatch Center notified police that a group of young people had passed “what was believed to be counterfeit $100 bills” at the First Capitol Mini-Mart, 423 N. Mound Ave., at about 12:10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, according to Belmont Chief of Police Kurt Malott.
    The vehicle the group was traveling in was disabled with a flat tire near the entrance to the gas station.
    According to Malott, Shaffer and the four juveniles had also passed counterfeit $100 bills at the Belmont Travel Center truck stop off U.S. 151 at 102 W. Mound View Ave.