A former Central College student accused of passing counterfeit money at Tulip Time and facing several felony drug charges was sentenced following a guilty plea. Skylar Carlson, 20, received deferred judgement and probation after pleading guilty to two class C felonies, four class D felonies, and two serious misdemeanors relating to arrests in May. Assistant County Attorney Jared Harmon called the sentencing result “disappointing”:
“Over the State’s objection, the defendant was granted a deferred judgment, in spite of taking advantage of organizations in our community raising money as vendors during Tulip Time in Pella. While I recognize that the defendant was 19 years of age at the time he committed the acts, it is no excuse for the harm he caused our community. Not to mention the danger he posed by distributing dangerous drugs. The defendant will be required to be on supervised probation for five years, which will require him to engage in substance abuse treatment, a mental health evaluation, maintain full time employment or schooling, pay back restitution to the victims of his crimes, and pay fines in the amount of $5,630. Should he violate probation he could face a prison sentence up to 42 years. I would like to thank the Pella Police Department for their thorough investigation into this matter.”
During Tulip Time this spring, the Pella Police Department received several reports of an individual passing counterfeit $20 bills to Tulip Time vendors, and they say a prompt investigation allowed officers to develop a description of the male suspect, which was shared with vendors. A West Market Park vendor observed Carlson passing a counterfeit $20 bill and notified police. Pella Police officers were able to apprehend Carlson a short distance away. Officers discovered he was in possession of $380 in counterfeit currency. Investigators determined where Skylar was living locally, and obtained a search warrant and discovered another $840 in counterfeit $20 bills in his room and several items that had been purchased from vendors using the counterfeit bills, along with approximately $700 of legal currency in ones, fives, and tens.
According to court records, the first arrest led to a search and seizure warrant performed at a Central College dorm room, in which Carlson was the only resident. Police say they found nine grams of a crystal powdery substance that field tested positive for Ecstasy, a jar of psilocybin mushrooms weighing five grams, one amphetamine pill, multiple items of paraphernalia, and cash in a safe, which led to several drug related charges.