‘It’s crazy’: Suspects steal Temple man’s truck, use it to take ATM from convenience store

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - A trio of suspects involved in a Temple robbery not only stole an entire ATM, they also stole a couple of cars and used them in the heist, police said.

This all took place early morning Friday at the 7-Eleven on North 3rd Street near the Czech Heritage Museum.

Bobby Jones from Temple said the morning of Aug. 25 started with a scare. His truck wasn’t at his Temple apartment complex, so his first thought was to call several tow companies.

”They said we didn’t tow it, we don’t have any tow possessions,” Jones said. “So I called a couple of other tow yards and I asked them, ‘did you tow it?’ They said no. That’s when I called the police.”

It turns out a trio of thieves drove Jones’ truck from his apartment off of West Elm Avenue down the street to the 7-Eleven on North Third Street.

”Three suspects pulled a truck next to a window at the 7-Eleven, broke the window, tied the ATM machine to the back of the truck and drove it away,” Temple Police Department spokesperson Megan Prices said.

Jones said his description of the dent in his 2006 Chevrolet truck helped police put two and two together.

”It’s crazy to think that’s my truck,” Jones said. “It’s just wild.”

Police eventually found the truck in a field in Hewitt. No suspects inside it but the stolen ATM was there, with no money left in it.

“I’ve seen a lot of stolen cars burned down and a lot of stolen cars not usable again,” Jones said. “I’m just thankful that I got it back.”

Now nearly a week after the robbery, police haven’t arrested any of the three suspects.

The suspects left Jones with a broken door handle and broken side mirror. It’s a happy ending for Jones with this recovery, but he said he would like to see this case come to a close too.

”I just want to tell others if they see something, say something,” Jones said.

The same day that Temple Police located Jones’ truck in Hewitt, they found another stolen car in a field in Temple. Police say this second car served as the getaway car for the robbery, but again no suspects in sight.

Anyone with information should call (254) 298-5500.

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