Federal counterfeiting charges against an Athens veterinarian and his alleged accomplice have been delayed until after the first of the year while officials prepare their case, an official said.

Bruce Young, 62, of 311 N. Marion St., and his friend, Jason Heath Clem, 34, of Athens were arrested at the Lincoln County Fair Sept. 10 after a carnival worker suspected they were passing fake $20 bills, an official said. They were scheduled to be in court in October on one count each of forgery, but the cases were continued to Jan. 12.

Investigator Doug Boeringer said federal counterfeiting charges are still pending in the case against the two men and that federal officials are preparing the case. He believes the forgery charges will be dropped once the counterfeiting charges are brought.

The sheriff’s department initially planned to charge Young, who is free on bond, with 277 counts of counterfeiting for each fake bill but changed the charge to one count of forgery because federal counterfeiting charges are pending.

Young served time in prison on a conviction for conspiracy to commit counterfeiting in the mid-1990s. He temporarily lost but then regained his license to practice veterinary medicine.

— Jean Cole