Counterfeit $20 bill used to pay for pizza

Bangor police confiscated a counterfeit $20 bill Friday evening after a man reportedly used the bill to pay for a delivered pizza.

Domino’s Pizza contacted police after a delivery driver received what he believed to be a fake bill from William Spring, 53, of Bangor. Bangor Officer Wade Betters joined Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Keith Mercier in searching Spring’s home.

Betters questioned Spring about where he got the bill. According to Betters’ report, Spring said he thought he received the $20 as change from a $50 bill he used to buy items at the Corner Store on Hammond Street a few days ago.

The officer’s report said the $20 bill in question had two test marks on it, including one from the Domino’s delivery driver. Spring told Betters he had no idea the bill was fake.

Betters’ report described the bill as torn down the middle and tattered. It did not have a watermark or any security strips. Betters asked Spring if he had any more questionable bills and Spring said that he didn’t.

Spring insisted it was all a big mistake, Betters’ report said, and the man offered to pay for the pizza with a check. Betters had a Domino’s driver return to Spring’s residence to be paid properly for the pizza. Spring was not charged.

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Apparently two warnings from a Bangor police officer weren’t enough to stop a Bucksport woman from getting behind the wheel of her car while intoxicated early Saturday morning.

Bethany Meacham, 24, was parked on Franklin Street near Benjamin’s when police received a call at 3:32 a.m. from someone claiming Meacham was attempting to drive drunk.

Officer Shawn Green approached Meacham’s car and asked her if she thought she should be driving, according to his report.

Meacham told Green she was fine and that she had had only a couple of beers. Green conducted field sobriety tests, which Meacham performed poorly, the report said, and Green warned the woman not to drive or she would be arrested.

Meacham said she didn’t want any help finding another ride, and Green said he offered to drive her back to the police station, but she refused. Green’s report said that just before he left, he warned her a second time not to get behind the wheel.

The officer pulled his cruiser around the corner and less than five minutes later saw Meacham’s vehicle pull out onto Franklin Street and turn onto Harlow Street, the report said.

Green pulled her over and told her to exit the vehicle. According to Green’s report, Meacham refused to get out of the vehicle and didn’t do so until she got a call on her cell phone from her father.

After she finally got out of the car, Meacham started to walk away when Green stopped her and told her she was under arrest.

The report said Meacham refused to go to the police station and was uncooperative to the point where Green and another officer had to pin her to the cruiser with arm bars just to get handcuffs on her.

Green did transfer Meacham to the station where her blood alcohol level was found to be nearly three times the legal limit. Meacham’s family arrived and she left with them, along with a summons for operating under the influence.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Eric Russell