6 FEBRUARY 15, 2012
Smoke Signals
Casino security thwarts
alleged counterfeiters
Albany men arrested on forgery charges after visit to Spirit Mountain
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Two Albany men are facing felony
charges after they allegedly passed
counterfeit $100 bills at Spirit
Mountain Casino on Tuesday, Feb.
7.
Their arrest also led police au
thorities to more fake bills and
money-manufacturing equipment
at a home in the 3600 block of Adah
Avenue in Albany.
Polk County deputies were called
to the casino at about 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday after fake bills were dis
covered by casino staff, said sher
iffs spokesman Lt. Jeff Isham.
Terry Albert Connor, 42, and
Eric Jon Willem, 43, were arrested
after they left the casino parking
lot. They were booked into the Polk
County Jail in Dallas.
Police said the two men passed 17
counterfeit bills at the casino and
were in possession of 30 more.
Deputies later conducted a search
with the U.S. Secret Service at the
Albany address and found more
fake bills and computer equipment,
including hard drives burned in a
woodstove, Isham said.
Conner and Willem face counts of
forgery and criminal possession of
a forged instrument.
As of Friday, Feb. 10, both men
were being held on multiple charges
with bail amounts of approximately
$150,000.
'The passing of counterfeit bills
is fairly common in the casino busi
ness," said Rodney Ferguson, chief
executive officer of Spirit Mountain
Casino. "Fortunately, our staff is
trained to identify counterfeit bills
via visual and other means. The
U. S. Secret Service always gets
involved because it is a federal of
Contributed photos
During a trip to Washington, D.C., batwaan Fab. 7-9, Tribal Council Vica
Chair Rayn Lano and Tribal Council Sacratary Jack Giffan Jr. mat with
Obama administration officials and congrassional rapresantativas
ragarding tha Triba's proposad amandmant to tha 1 988 Grand Ronda
Rasarvation Act. Abova, Giffan, left, Lano, sacond from left, and Tribal
Attorney Rob Graana, right, mat with Alaska Congrassman Don Young,
chair of tha Housa Subcommittaa on Alaska Nativa and Indian Affairs,
about schaduling a Housa haaring on tha proposad amandmant. Tha ;
U.S. Sanata hald a haaring on tha proposad amandmant on Fab. 2.
Balow, Lano, laft, and Giffan, right, attandad a racaption on Fab. 7 for '
newly alactad Oragon Congrasswoman Suzanna Bonamici, who won
a run-off alaction to succaad David Wu in tha District 1 seat, which '
includas Grand Ronda. Lano and Giffan also mat with Buraau of Indian
Education officials and attandad a Sanata Indian Affairs haaring on
Intarnat gaming.
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Professional! champ
Contributed photo
Tribal member Bryan Langlay, left, won tha professional division at the
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's Elk Calling Championship held Feb.
2-4 in Las Vegas, Nev. Joel Turner, right, of Eatonville, Wash., finished
second. Both Langley and Turner are professional staff for Point Blank
Hunting Calls of Redmond, Ore., which is owned by Grand Ronde
Tribal descendant Willy Rodgers. It's Web site is www.pointblankcalls.
com. Langley is also a long-time employee of the Tribe's Education
Department and member of the Tribe's Ceremonial Hunt Board.
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