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KIRKSVILLE, MO -- Local law enforcement took down a counterfeit ticket ring.

Tuesday, the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and the Kirksville Police Department received a tip that someone was duplicating and selling fake season passes to the NEMO Fair.

Investigators set up surveillance at the Super 8 Motel in Kirksville and caught the exchange of ten forged tickets.

Police arrested Kimberly Shake, 17, and Damien Patterson, 24, of Kirksville on a charge of forgery. 

Shake told police that she and Patterson duplicated a real fair pass using a printer/scanner combination unit. 

Patterson denies printing the fake fair passes, but admits that he purchased the paper for Shake, and that he knew the paper would be used in the manufacturing of the counterfeits.  He has been charged with multiple offenses in the past, including at least one felony.

Robert Hardwick, the Adair County Sheriff, says the forged passes looked a lot like the real thing.

“They're just a little different in color and the paper's just a little different.  They used the same number for all the cards, so it was somewhat determined that they resemble a legitimate fair pass pretty good,” said Hardwick.

The number used for the passes is 5480.  Hardwick says that tickets purchased at local businesses are almost certainly legitimate, but that buyers should beware of tickets they purchased from anyone other than a business or a fair official, or at a discount price.

If you suspect you bought a fake you should contact the police or show the ticket to fair officials at the gate.  You will not be able to get into the fair using a fake pass, but you will be allowed to purchase a new pass to the fair.  As many as 80 tickets could still be out there.

Hardwick also told KTVO that the situation is now in the hands of the fair board.

“We've spoken to the fair board and they're looking at next year's situation and we're just very happy that it was a joint effort between the Kirksville Police Department and the Sheriff's Office and we got the situation taken care of very quickly,” he said.