Thieves use forklift to steal ATM

Three months ago, someone tried to steal an ATM from the Regions Bank branch on North Eldridge Parkway near Spencer Road, prompting the bank to double-bolt the machine to the ground. You'd think that would have taken care of the problem, right? Well, no: Early this morning, thieves used a forklift to rip the machine from the ground.

The theft took place around 3 a.m. and was caught by a surveillance camera inside the building, which reportedly shows the forklift headed straight for the ATM. It's not clear what the thieves did with the machine, but deputies said it was likely loaded into a box truck; the forklift was abandoned, still running, in a field behind the bank. We can't help but wonder how discreet a group of thieves driving a forklift along a major street, using it to uproot an ATM and then driving off with the ATM can really be, but we guess they managed to pull it off — perhaps with the help of some hardhats and "ATM Relocation Crew" T-shirts from Spencer's Gifts. (For the record, no, Spencer's doesn't carry those shirts — at least not that we know of — though they are offering a remote-controlled fart machine. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't help you rob a bank.)

Police are now trying to figure out where the forklift came from and where the ATM went. If anyone has information on the incident, call Crime Stoppers at 713.222.TIPS.