PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pikeville man was arrested Monday for allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $100 bill.

Pikeville Police were called to Velocity Market Monday evening, after 37-year-old Elijah Blake Childress allegedly tried to buy a pack of cigarettes with the funny money. The clerk noticed that the bill had red Chinese lettering on it and suspected it to be fake, which was confirmed with a counterfeit detection pen.

Police say Childress then pulled $10 from his wallet and offered the real cash for the cigarettes, but the business called police instead.

Childress reportedly told police he knew the bill was fake and that he got it from his girlfriend, after it was passed at her business. He also reportedly told them he kept it to show friends.

Childress has now been charged with first-degree possession of a forged instrument, which is a felony punishable by 5-to-10 years in prison.

He is not scheduled to appear in court for arraignment until August.