OTTUMWA, Iowa – A local woman, Tammatha Brown, has been arrested after allegedly using counterfeit $100 bills to make purchases at a Hy-Vee Gas station, police said.
According to court records, Brown entered the northside Hy-Vee Gas in June and made two separate transactions with fake $100 bills, both for low-cost items that allowed her to walk away with a large amount of legitimate cash in change.
Investigators say Brown knowingly used the counterfeit bills, and that she has a history of similar offenses. She has two prior theft convictions, one dating back to 2010 and another as recent as June 2025.
A warrant for her arrest was issued on July 22, and she was taken into custody the next day. Brown was booked into the Wapello County Jail, where her bond was set at $7,000.
She now faces charges of:
Forgery (a Class D felony)
Theft in the Third Degree (an aggravated misdemeanor)
Brown remains in custody pending her next court appearance.
