Men Use Forklift to Steal Banks Co. ATM

Banks County investigators were searching Thursday for two men who used a forklift to try to steal an ATM. The attempted theft happened at the Northeast Georgia Bank in Commerce this week and authorities made a link to Metro Atlanta.

Investigators said there were two vehicles used in the caper, a truck stolen from Duluth and forklift stolen from a construction site about a quarter of a mile away from the bank.

Last Saturday morning, police said someone using a stolen forklift grabbed an ATM at the Northeast Bank of Georgia and yanked it out building.

"You can see a male subject on the fork lift but otherwise he is unidentifiable," said Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman.

Sheriff Chapman said the forklift, which was returned to its owners, was hot-wired at a nearby construction site and then driven on State Route 441 all the way to the bank.

"Right now we don't no have any leads other than trying to study these videos," said Sheriff Champan.

Surveillance video showed a truck that was stolen from Duluth. Investigators said two men put the ATM in the truck bed and then fled.

The video didn't capture the ATM falling off the truck after the men pulled off. The ATM was later recovered.

Sheriff Chapman said one of his deputies was on the scene less than four minutes after the bank alarms went off.

"Apparently the alarms being connected to this, probably hastily and in a hurry they lost the ATM machine. The stolen truck was found in Jefferson about 20 miles away. It's something that will keep you scratching your head," said Sheriff Chapman.

Chapman said he believed at least the man driving the forklift was wearing gloves, because crime scene technicians could not lift any fingerprints. Chapman said he was still waiting to see if fingerprints could be lifted from the stolen truck found in Jefferson.