Denton police are investigating a spate of forged $100 bills that have appeared at businesses this month and are warning business owners to be on the lookout for more.

Courtesy photo/Denton Police Department

In this image captured from security camera footage, a woman wanted for questioning in a forgery case is shown at a business on West University Drive. The store recently received forged $100 bills, according to police.

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Officer Ryan Grelle said someone is “washing” $5 bills with chemicals that take the numbers off the special material the bills are made of and then reprinting them with the $100 designation.

One woman passed a forged bill at a store in Golden Triangle Mall, making a small purchase with it and pocketing a large amount of change. A man and a different woman passed forged bills on different dates at a store on West University Drive, using the same method.

Anyone with helpful information can pass it along by calling 940-349-7962.

Other reports

2800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue — Someone broke into the missions box at St. Mark Catholic Church sometime Sunday and took the money inside, according to a crime report. The lock appeared to have been pried off the box.

9000 block of Fort Worth Drive — Someone apparently entered the Argyle United Methodist Church office while the church was unlocked Sunday and opened a drawer where the cash from offerings was kept. The thief took cash and checks from all three morning services, according to a police report.

400 block of Buladora Drive, Rocky Point area — A man wanted for questioning in a report of assault with a deadly weapon slipped out a back door and eluded sheriff’s deputies on Sunday.

Deputies reported that a man called about 7 p.m. and said that while he and a friend were picking up firewood in the area of Two Pines Lane, he got into an argument with an acquaintance who lived in the area. The man threatened him with a knife, he said, and then said he was going into the house for his “piece.”

The two men left, but the acquaintance later showed up on the victim’s front porch. He pulled out a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, chambered a round and pointed the gun at the victim’s head. The friend grabbed the man with a gun and pulled him off the porch, according to the report. The man left the property.

Deputies went to the suspect’s trailer. A woman there said the man was not at home. The deputies were watching both doors, but the suspect managed to slip into a yard protected by a privacy fence and get away.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday:

• Denton police responded to 217 service and officer-initiated calls, including two frauds, seven thefts, one overdose, one deceased person, two vehicle burglaries, one burglary, one runaway, one forgery, two reports of criminal mischief, one burglary of a coin-operated machine, one assault and one case of possession of marijuana.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 196 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. Twenty-five people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of one theft and one aggravated assault.

• Denton firefighters responded to two traffic accidents, 20 medical calls, one electrical malfunction, one hazardous materials incident, one request to assist an invalid and one alarm.

Aubrey firefighters responded to two traffic accidents, one medical call and one request to assist a citizen.

Lake Cities firefighters responded to three medical calls, one special patrol, one alarm and one request for mutual aid.

Sanger firefighters responded to one medical call.

Oak Point firefighters responded to two medical calls.

Argyle firefighters responded to two alarms, one request to assist a citizen and one medical call.

Pilot Point firefighters responded to one medical call.

Ponder firefighters responded to one traffic accident.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Reach the Denton police narcotics tip line at 940-565-5801.