Thieves stole U-Haul, forklift, ATM; used backhoe to break it open

A utility worker early Wednesday afternoon discovered a damaged ATM that thieves used a stolen forklift to steal from outside a Waco bank along with a stolen U-Haul truck used to haul the machine and a backhoe used to break it open.

The ATM, which was taken early Wednesday from the First National Bank of Central Texas in the 7500 block of Woodway Drive, was discovered along with the truck and backhoe in a wooded area off Gateway Boulevard near Texas Central Parkway, just more than three miles from the bank.

“The ATM was transported in the stolen U-Haul van to the wooded site. A backhoe being used by the City of Waco to clean the creek was used to open the ATM. An undisclosed amount of money was removed from the ATM,” police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said.

The truck was stolen from the U-Haul lot at North Valley Mills Drive and West Waco Drive just before the ATM theft, he said.

Officers from Waco and Woodway responded to the bank just before 4 a.m. Wednesday in response to a report of the ATM theft.

When officers arrived they discovered the forklift that the thieves used to pry the ATM free of its base and then to place it in their vehicle.

Investigators determined the thieves stole the forklift from the Alliance Bank construction site next door.

The bank from which the ATM was stolen is in Waco and the construction site from which the forklift was stolen is in Woodway.

Waco police are investigating the ATM theft while Woodway police are handling the forklift theft, Swanton said.

A bank spokesman declined to comment on the theft Wednesday.