FBI looking into local robbery

Federal authorities are investigating a recent ATM robbery in Portland.

Police suspect the crime is connected to a series of ATM robberies across the nation.

Three men broke into the CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union main branch ATM, 1102 W. Votaw St., just before 4 a.m. Nov. 11.

The robbery itself occurred in just over one minute, explained Portland police investigator Jeff Hopkins. An undisclosed amount of cash was removed from the ATM.

Portland Police Department received a call about 6:23 a.m. Nov. 11 about the ATM, which had been “torn apart” with “parts everywhere,” according to a report from the department.

Similar methods used to break into the ATM in Portland have been used in other robberies across the U.S., including the August robbery of the Heritage Federal Credit Union ATM in Evansville.

Detectives from Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Georgia and Louisiana to conduct interviews with suspects arrested Oct. 7 who were “caught in the act of stealing an ATM in the same manner the ATM in Evansville was robbed,” according to a press release from Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.  Their investigation led to the Nov. 20 arrest of Dmyree Martin, 21, Katy, Texas, who is a suspect in the case.

Martin was recently charged in Vanderburgh Superior Court with a Level 5 felony for the crime. He was being held in Fort Bend Jail in Richmond, Texas, while waiting to be transported to Vanderburgh County, the press release says.

In Indiana, robbing an ATM is classified as theft. If the value of the property is at least $50,000, the charge is filed as a Level 5 felony.

Although the ATM robbery in Portland was caught on camera, the perpetrators wore masks, gloves and other items to conceal their identities. They stole a truck from a residence south of Portland, using the vehicle to drive up to the ATM and abandoning it at Canterbury Apartments. The truck was retrieved by police about 9 a.m. Nov. 11 and later returned to its owner. Two other vehicles are suspected to be involved in the robbery.

A Federal Bureau of Investigations task force is looking into the case.

Hopkins requested those with security cameras in the area to review their footage from midnight Nov. 10 to about 5 a.m. Nov. 11 and share any suspicious activity with police.

CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union’s branch on Votaw Street didn’t open Nov. 11. As of Wednesday, the ATM was closed to the public. CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union clients are able to utilize services at the branch on Meridian Street, or at branches in Dunkirk or Winchester.