Man suspected in Acworth ATM smash-and-grab turns himself in, police say
An Alabama man suspected of smashing a U-Haul van into an Acworth gas station in order to steal an ATM turned himself in late last month, officials said.
Wilbert Demond Holmes Jr., 22, of Selma, Alabama, was already accused of a similar crime when he surrendered to Cobb County authorities July 23, according to Acworth police spokesman Cpl. Eric Mistretta.
When Holmes turned himself in, he was out on bond after being arrested on charges related to an ATM smash-and-grab burglary involving a stolen U-Haul truck in LaGrange, Mistretta confirmed. Holmes was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on one count of burglary, one count of theft by taking and two counts of second-degree criminal damage to property, jail records show.
He was released the same day he was arrested on nearly $17,000 bond, according to jail records.
Prior to Holmes’ Cobb arrest, Mistretta said police investigators in LaGrange reached out to those in Acworth after recognizing the pattern of the ATM theft.
“(Holmes) committed the same type of crime in their city with a stolen U-Haul truck and the Alabama state trooper pulled him over with the ATM in the back of his vehicle,” Mistretta said about the LaGrange burglary. “In both cases he stole a U-Haul truck and used that to commit his crime, returned the U-Haul truck and then left in his personal vehicle.”
The Acworth incident took place around 4:30 a.m. on May 25 at the Texaco Food Mart at 4739 Main Street.
Surveillance footage showed a man breaking the glass door, then trying to yank loose an ATM that was bolted to the floor. When his attempts were unsuccessful, he backed a white Ford Transit U-Haul van through the store, knocking the machine loose. He then loaded the ATM into the back of the van and sped off.
Officers found the van abandoned outside a store along Canton Road. They confirmed it had been reported stolen.
Collaboration between the LaGrange and Acworth police departments led to Holmes’ identification as a suspect, according to Mistretta.
“They were able to use Flock cameras and business surveillance cameras to I.D. his personal vehicle and place him in the areas where the vehicle was stolen and where he was at,” Mistretta said.
About the Author
Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
