A Fort Oglethorpe maintenance worker is retiring from the city after a police investigation into his alleged use of counterfeit money.
Clayton A. Butler gave $25 in fake cash to Lisa's Gold & Diamonds on April 13 in exchange for a couple of watch batteries, according to a Fort Oglethorpe police report. Though the Georgia Bureau of Investigation looked into how Butler got the counterfeit money and whether he committed forgery, the district attorney's office recommended closing the case without filing charges.
City officials suspended Butler, 66, with pay for a week, beginning April 13. According to his personnel file, he then announced he would retire June 10. And until then, he will take vacation leave for the last six weeks of his job.
A listed phone number fort Butler did not work Wednesday.
According to the incident report for the case, a couple of Fort Oglethorpe police officers disposed of some evidence on April 12, including drugs and counterfeit money. The officers were supposed to burn the fake currency. But at first, they put some of the money in a city dumpster.
Sgt. Johnny Lanham, one of the two officers, said he saw a Walker State Prison inmate who works at city hall near the dumpster as they disposed of the evidence. The inmate, who worked under Butler's supervision, said he wanted to get the trash. One of the officers told him that some of the stuff they left in the dumpster could get him in trouble.
Later that day, the report states, Lisa Edge told investigators somebody bought a couple of batteries at Lisa's Gold & Diamonds from her granddaughter with fake money. When Edge saw the currency, she knew it was not real and called police. She said she thought the buyer was a city employee, and Lanham said her description sounded like Butler.
Edge said Butler later returned to her shop and offered her real money. When she told him she called police, she said, he seemed worried. He tried to give her $50.
Fort Oglethorpe police also interviewed the inmate who works at city hall. The inmate told them he found the fake money in the dumpster and gave it to Butler. He said Butler bought a watch battery and burned the rest of the money.
The police department then asked the GBI to investigate the case. The police officers also said they did not find any more counterfeit money.
Five days later, on April 18, GBI agent Steve Rogers Jr. informed the Fort Oglethorpe police that the district attorney's office recommended the case be closed.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@times freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.