A trail of red mud led investigators back to where a forklift was stolen from First Baptist Church early Wednesday and later used to rip a full-sized ATM from a nearby bank.
At 2:26 a.m., the thieves hot-wired the forklift at the church and drove it to the Georgia Bank and Trust branch at 3530 Wheeler Road, according to Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Calvin Chew.
"There's mud all over the tires, so by the time they drove the forklift over, you could see all of the tire tracks," Sgt. Chew said.
The thieves lifted the device, which is valued at $47,000, from its drive-through location and loaded it on what investigators say was a large truck. The ATM and the pickup were located Wednesday night in a field off Skinner Mill Road, a Richmond County dispatcher said.
The thieves left the stolen forklift, with the engine running, in the bank parking lot. Deputies were alerted to the theft by the bank's alarm company.
"This seems well-thought-out, so to speak, because it happened within minutes," Sgt. Chew said. The church and the bank are connected by a small side street called Garner Drive.
Sheriff's Property Crimes Sgt. Paul Evans said they have reason to believe there were witnesses who have not yet come forward.
ATMs have become popular items for thieves in the past few years. A similar incident involving a forklift occurred in Atlanta in December, in which the thieves were able to rip the machine from a bank branch but could not enter the inner vault that contained the cash, according to a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
Sgt. Chew said his office has handled several incidents in which thieves stole ATMs from inside convenience stores, but that he could not remember anyone taking one as large as the one stolen Wednesday.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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hmmm... clever and desperate I assume? at least they weren't robbing someone at gunpoint. Did they break into any cash or was the entire system recovered?
This must be the spot & steal job i heard about.
Anybody know what a "forklight" is? (from the headline)
Jeff Foxworthy needs to use this in his next show
A light with a fork or is it a fork with a light... LOL... the people at the newspaper forgot how to spell... because the tax money instead of going to education where it should go is going to tee center and lazy people!!
Don't let this issue get to area schools! Forklight....LOL
I just got the morning paper. Thank God area schools won't see this in the paper! It is spelled right there. Forklight indeed. Adam, I NEEDED THIS LAUGH!
Stolen forklight from church used to heist ATM
'Well-thought-out,' police say...how funny is that? Apparently the article wasn't well thought out! Way to go Adam Folk!
I'm trying to understand how this can be spelled correctly in the newspaper but incorrectly online... Anyone have any answers?
Just another insurance claim for the bank. The story reminds me of a sermon I once heard about how God loves a cheerful giver. Pass the collection basket (forklift).
Just a little confused, did they get the money out of the ATM? And how much?
Poorly written article. Did they get the $ out of the ATM? One reference to a "large truch", another reference to a "pickup". Was it a "large pickup"? Even the largest pickup isn't really large in comparison to a "large truck". AC needs better writers and proof readers ...
Hahahahah This has made my day!!!!
I'll make a prediction and say this will be solved fairly quickly.
Just a thought....what does a church do with a forklift?
The church has construction going on, thats why they had a fork lift.
According to the actual news sources (WJBF, WRDW, WGAT) in the CSRA, they got the money out before they left the truck and ATM in the field.
Just too funny.
It takes all kinds....
The ability to plan and execute this theft shows a waste of a talented mind. WHEN they are caught, they should be sentenced harshly, with a condition for early release being to gain a degree. Shame such talent going to pot like this. I repair and fill ATM's: this gig took real skill.