Car crash leads to discovery of counterfeit cash
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A husband and wife are behind bars after a police chase that ended in a dramatic crash and the discovery of drugs, a gun and thousands of dollars in fake cash.
Jerome and Kendra Folkes face several charges including felony evading arrest and drug possession. The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office released dramatic dash-cam video of the rollover crash that ended the chase.
An innocent driver, a college student, ended up upside down. Sgt. Alex Gonzalez then had to jump out of his patrol car to catch the driver. Once he and his wife were in custody, officers discovered a major stash of drugs and fake money.
It was not how Sgt. Alex Gonzalez of the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office thought his Wednesday morning would go.
"In the blink of an eye, this happens," said Gonzalez.
As he sat at a red light, he ran the license plate of the truck in front of him and found it didn't match its toll tag, which had been suspended. He then tried to pull the truck over. The driver wouldn't stop. After a quick U-turn on Bellaire Blvd near Cook Rd in the Alief area, the driver ran a red light and crashed into a SUV driven by Brandon McClerkin.
"I was definitely thinking that if I was a little farther up, he could have caused more injury," said McClerkin, a 20-year-old student at Houston Community College.
The police dashboard camera recorded the truck running over a utility box in the median after the wreck and before the driver took off on foot. Sgt. Gonzalez was close behind, and with the help of Houston police officers, got him in custody. Then Gonzalez returned to the scene to deal with the wife who was trying to flee.
Authorities identify the couple as Kendra and Jerome Folkes. While searching the truck, officers discovered a pistol, bags of marijuana, dozens of pills and more than $15,000 in counterfeit money.
"What I believe is he's a drug dealer and that he sells and buys with the counterfeit money he gets and makes, actually," Gonzalez explained. "We got a lot of drugs off the street and a lot of counterfeit money off the street which is a good day in police work."
McClerkin, who took of picture of his SUV after it landed on its roof, somehow escaped injury.
"It was pretty intense. I didn't picture myself being in such a bad accident," McClerkin said.
McClerkin has created a GoFundMe account to help pay for expenses. To make a donation, CLICK HERE.
Eyewitness News has learned Jerome Folkes was a felon out on parole for auto theft. The truck he and his wife were in had been stolen from a rental car company. They could face federal charges for having the counterfeit money.
