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FBI probe into thefts continues

By Caroline Trowbridge - | Jun 5, 2002

Federal agents continue to investigate a theft from an automatic teller machine in Tonganoxie, and they’re contemplating whether two other ATM burglaries are related.

Late last Wednesday night, a convenience store and ATM were broken into in Williamsburg, which is about 15 miles southwest of Ottawa on Interstate 35. On May 18, a similar burglary and theft occurred at an ATM inside a convenience store in Princeton, about five miles south of Ottawa on U.S. Highway 59.

The ATM at Community National Bank in Tonganoxie was burglarized the day after the Princeton incident.

According to Jeff Lanza, special agent with the FBI, investigators believe the two thefts near Ottawa are related.

“Right now, we’re only saying there’s a possible connection between Princeton and Williamsburg,” he said. “We’re not sure they’re connected to Tonganoxie right now.”

Lanza said the FBI has seen an upswing in the number of thefts from ATMs in recent years.

“Bank robberies tend to go in cycles, and these seem to go in cycles, too,” he said. “But once we catch those people who are responsible, we’ll see the level of activity go down.”

The Community National break-in occurred shortly before midnight on May 19 at the bank, which is at U.S. Highway 24-40 and Main Street.