Five men from Texas were arrested last week in Forsyth County after being accused of trying to use a stolen pickup truck to haul away a bank’s ATM by force.
On Thursday, deputies caught the group in the act at the Chase Bank on Buford Highway, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The suspects are accused of attaching a large chain to the ATM from the truck in an effort to pull the machine off its concrete base.
The suspects ran away when they spotted deputies, abandoning the truck and ATM. Deputies and a K-9 unit were able to find two of them, while a third was arrested during a nearby traffic stop.
The suspects, who are all from Houston, were identified as Samuel Brown, 26, Bernard Lewis, 27, and Katreyvion Smith, 19. They were charged with theft by taking, theft by receiving and criminal damage to property.
Two days later, deputies pulled over a vehicle after its driver failed to maintain his lane near the Chase Bank off Commerce Boulevard, the release said. Deputies searched the vehicle after they said they smelled marijuana coming from inside the car.
During the search, deputies found multiple tools that could be used for burglary, including two heavy chains with hooks, the release said. The hooks and chains matched the ones used during the attempted ATM theft Thursday.
Two Texas license plates were also found in the car along with written directions to other banks in the Forsyth County area, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ricky Bridgewater, 31, and Lorenzo Moore, 40, also of Houston, were arrested as a result of the traffic stop, the sheriff’s office said. They face counts of possession of tools for the commission of a crime and loitering and prowling.
The five men were booked into the Forsyth County jail.
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