Hollister – A year-long investigation by Hollister police into a
Morgan Hill man for passing counterfeit bills culminated Wednesday,
when he was arrested for 23 charges including felony
counterfeiting, burglary and possession of crystal methamphetamine
for sale, according to police.
Hollister – A year-long investigation by Hollister police into a Morgan Hill man for passing counterfeit bills culminated Wednesday, when he was arrested for 23 charges including felony counterfeiting, burglary and possession of crystal methamphetamine for sale, according to police.
Jason Lee Gallardo, 23, who has both Morgan Hill and Hollister addresses, was a suspect in a counterfeiting investigation after he was caught on video at Hollister’s Kmart in November 2003 for buying merchandise with three fake $20 bills, said Hollister police Detective Rudy Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez had to wait for over a year to receive fingerprints back from the state Department of Justice that linked Gallardo to the phony bills.
After he had the hard evidence he needed to charge Gallardo, Rodriguez went looking for the suspect last Wednesday.He found him near San Andreas School and pulled Gallardo over. After identifying himself as an officer, Rodriguez said he was waiting for back-up to take the 23-year-old into custody. “Then he turned around, looked at me and peeled out,” Rodriguez said. “There was about a three-block chase with him blowing stop signs, and then I finally pulled him over.”
After taking Gallardo into custody, police retraced the chase route and found that Gallardo allegedly had thrown more than 3.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine out the window.
“That’s why he was fleeing – so he could dump his dope,” Rodriguez said. “So we charged him with the charges with this case, and booked him on the prior case. Now he’s got a world of stuff on his plate.”
Along with five felony charges related to the drug possession and passing fake money, Gallardo was booked into the San Benito County Jail for an assortment of misdemeanor charges including reckless driving and 15 other misdemeanor counts for prior criminal violations, according to the jail. Gallardo refused to tell police how he obtained the counterfeit bills, Rodriguez said.
In all, Gallardo was booked with 23 charges and is in custody in lieu of almost $70,000 bail, according to jail personnel.
Gallardo had been a guest of the county jail four times before his current incarceration for various charges, including possession of marijuana and controlled substances.
Hollister Free Lance reporter Erin Musgrave can be reached at em*******@***********ws.com or 831-637-5566, ext. 336.
