MANSFIELD – A former Ashland University business office employee who had university cash and checks as well as counterfeit bills in his vehicle was arrested in Mansfield early Friday morning and charged with forgery.
Rickey L. Thompson, 61, of Ashland, was a passenger in a vehicle that he owned but that was being driven by Charlie A. Bettis, of Mansfield. Billie Jo Hinds of Ashland was also in the vehicle, a gray 2013 Toyota truck.
Police pulled the driver over after the truck was seen leaving a “high drug area” with expired license plates around 2:45 a.m. Friday, according to a Mansfield Police Department report. The traffic stop took place on the 400 block of Burns Street.
According to the report, the three occupants of the vehicle appeared to be moving around excessively in the cab of the truck and appeared to be nervous as they sweated profusely.
Police believed Thompson appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They patted him down and found several $100 bills that appeared to be counterfeit.
Bettis was arrested for driving under suspension and told police the syringes, crack pipes and chore boy in the vehicle were his. Hinds was arrested on two warrants and was found to be in possession of suspected crack cocaine, which she hid in her bra and then attempted to dump down a storm drain, police said.
While taking inventory of the vehicle after towing it from the location of the traffic stop, police found three money bags containing $36,309 in cash and checks with receipts returning to Ashland University.
Thompson told police he was supposed to deposit the money for the university but had not yet done so. Though Thompson was not immediately able to provide the police with proof of his employment with the university, Ashland University spokesman Steve Hannan confirmed Friday that Thompson did work in the university’s business office.
Later Friday, the university released a statement saying, “The individual identified is no longer employed with Ashland University, and in respecting ongoing criminal and internal investigations, the University will not comment further on the matter. ”
