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ATM thieves strike twice, come away with little cash

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

Two ATM burglars found out the hard way Monday that even the best laid plans don’t turn out quite as expected.

Eager to get their hands on a mound of cash, the burglars cut the alarm system and broke into an ATM at Publix, 1512 Highway 74 North in Tyrone, about 3:30 a.m. After emptying the machine, the thieves fled with an unknown amount of money, Tyrone Police Chief Johnny Hay said.

Hay tried to speak positively, but he held out little hope that the men would be captured.

“We have some video that we are working, but once everything was cut that stopped everything,” Hay said. “These people obviously knew what they were doing.”

The burglary went off without a hitch, but the thieves sense of timing apparently wasn’t so flawless.

Hay said the ATM is filled up on Friday and again on Monday. The burglary took place prior to the open of business, so Hay suspected the ATM was on “the short side of things,” after numerous cash withdrawals were made by honest customers over the weekend.

Dissatisfied with their newfound stash, the thieves set their sights on another ATM at the Bank of America just a few miles away at 496 Crosstown Drive in Peachtree City.

Armed with a screwdriver, crowbar and a hammer, the burglars entered the bank and headed for the loot. But this time, their plan hit a snag.

“They attempted to hit the one in Peachtree City,” Hay said. “They missed one of the phone lines and the alarm went off and they had to leave in a hurry.”

A bank security operator notified Peachtree City police who arrived a minute after they were dispatched at 3:43 a.m. However, the thieves managed to elude police.

The Tyrone and Peachtree City police departments are working together to crack the case. Anyone with information about the crimes are asked to call the Tyrone Police Department at 770-487-4732 or the Peachtree City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 770-487-8866.