News

ATM theft the 'dumbest thing ever'

February 7, 2012

A man broke into a convenience store in Putnam County, W. Va., and dragged out the ATM using a tow strap and chain attached to his truck, but was arrested when he returned to the scene of the crime, said a news report in the Charleston Daily Mail.

A neighbor called for help after seeing the man drag the ATM out of a BP station convenience store with a white pickup. The witness told police he saw the truck leave with part of the machine trailing behind; the part of the machine containing cash apparently detached from the machine and rolled into a ditch.

When deputies arrived, they found the alleged thief in his truck at the store talking to the resident who had reported the incident.

"He drove about a mile down the road, then I guess he checked to see what he had and saw he'd left the good part behind," said a store employee. "Then he did the dumbest thing ever and went back to the store. That's how the police caught him; he was out there talking to the guy that reported it, all nonchalant like nothing was going on."

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