Unlawfully Arrested Innocence Cost Man $10,000
A Volusia County man was arrested after deputies say he used a counterfeit $100 bill during a transaction at a Dollar General store earlier this month. Dawson was at Houligan's Port Orange and then Neighbors Ice Cream Parlor when a man entered the Dollar General in Oak Hill, passing a prop $100 bill.
Breanna Kelly, an employee at Dollar General, falsely accused Dawson, claiming she recognized him from high school.
In an interview, a store manager stated that she attempted to speak with a deputy to correct the mistake, but law enforcement was unwilling to address it. According to the manager, the Sheriff’s Office told her, “We go with what the eyewitness said.” She further stated that the deputy appeared unconcerned and did not want to deal with the issue
According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on the evening of January 18, 2026, when a man attempted to add funds to a Cash App account using a $100 bill that store employees suspected was fake. A cashier initially refused the transaction, but a supervisor later accepted the bill and exchanged it for five $20 bills. But it wasn't the man accused
The bill was later found to contain printed phrases such as “Motion Picture Purposes” and “In Props We Trust,” according to an arrest affidavit. Surveillance footage and witness statements led deputies to identify the suspect as Dawson Allen of Oak Hill.
Based on the investigation and evidence collected, deputies arrested Allen on a charge of passing invalid currency. He was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail without incident.
The case was closed by arrest. A false arrest at that.
However, we have obtained the receipts, footage, and despite the store's efforts to correct the false accusation, the Volusia Sheriff deputy didn't care, according to the store manager.
The charges are now dropped, with NO INFORMATION and the deputy has not been repremanded to our knowlege at this time.