Criminals Steal Van, Truck and Attempt to Steal ATM Machine

By Donna Bain
Staff Writer

Pickens County Herald’s delivery van and an EMA truck were stolen early on Friday, March 3, 2023.
Police Chief Anthony Durrah explained how the vehicles were used to attempt to steal Alabama One’s ATM machine in Carrollton.
“The van was used in an attempt to steal the ATM at the Alabama One Credit Union,” said Chief Durrah. “During the course of that, they also stole a truck from the EMA building to assist in trying to get the ATM. They tried to remove the ATM but were unsuccessful. There is damage to the van, the EMA vehicle, and also damage to the ATM at Alabama One.” After stealing the EMA truck, the criminals got it stuck at an undisclosed location. They used chains and The Herald’s van to try to get the truck unstuck. They were unsuccessful, so they took the van to use in an attempt to steal the ATM. The van and the truck were both recovered.
“No access was gained to the ATM,” said Chief Durrah. “ No money is missing at this time. There has been a string of ATM thefts recently in Fayette and Demopolis. This incident is still under investigation. We’ve got a lot of videos that we’ve got to decipher and go through. It will be a process, and we will be joined by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department in this investigation.”
The Reform Police Department, the Aliceville Police Department, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Carrollton Police Department responded to the scene. The Carrollton Police Department was on a backup call in Aliceville when the theft occurred. Upon arriving back in Carrollton, a deputy from the Sheriff’s department was on his way to get gas and saw The Pickens County Herald’s van at the ATM running with its lights on and knew something wasn’t right. The ATM alarm at the credit union did not go off, so officers were unaware of the incident immediately.
“We are looking at surveillance cameras now to see exactly how all the incidents occurred,” said Mayor Mickey Walker. “We are going to have a meeting today about this, and we are fixing to step it up a little bit more. We do have officers on duty 24 hours a day now.”
Mike Moore, General Manager of The Pickens County Herald, said, “I would personally like to thank the mayor and law enforcement for the recovery of our delivery van. It’s a shame that some citizens think it’s ok not to work and to steal from others that work and provide for their families. Pickens County Herald will file charges to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Sheriff’s Department is following up on leads to hold the people responsible accountable for their actions.
“We’ve done some investigation already this morning,” said Sheriff Jordan Powell. “I think we have developed some leads. This seems to be a common trend that is going on
across the state of Alabama right now. Several locations have had this happen already. So, we’ve been speaking with them this morning, and I think we are headed in the right direction of maybe solving this case.”