A Miami man was arrested Thursday after deputies say he used counterfeit cash to pay for merchandise at a North Naples vitamin store.
Shirahn Jamal Gilbert, 34, faces a charge of passing a forged promissory note, a felony.
Arrest reports gave this account:
Gilbert entered The Vitamin Shoppe, 6434 Naples Blvd., around 5:40 p.m. Thursday. He shopped around and then went to an empty cash register and asked an employee if he could check her out quickly. He then handed the employee two $100 bills.
The employee immediately recognized the bills as fake and handed them back to Gilbert, saying the store didn’t accept $100s. Gilbert tried to pay with a credit card, but the card was rejected.
Gilbert hurriedly left the store and got into the passenger side of a Chevrolet Impala. The vehicle sped off.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified.
Within a few minutes deputies spotted the Impala traveling south on Interstate 75, south of Pine Ridge Road. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Three people were inside the vehicle, including Gilbert.
Gilbert was arrested and transported to the Collier County jail.
