Investigators took John Joshua Ford, 43, into custody Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in the downtown area.
The Edmonton man is facing multiple charges with respect to at least two of the recent ATM machine thefts from a hotel near Calgary Trail and 51 Avenue on March 11 and a pharmacy in Pleasantview on March 21.
Ford is charged with:
- Shop break and commit theft under $5,000
- Shop break with Intent
- Mischief under $5,000
- Possess break-in instruments (x 2)
- Disguised while in the commission of an offence
- Theft under $5,000
Damages incurred to buildings and machines targeted in the recent ATM machine theft series are believed to be in excess of $100,000.
Ford has also been linked to at least two other ATM machine theft incidents in communities surrounding Edmonton. Additional charges are pending.
Police continue to investigate this series of ATM machine thefts. Investigators believe several of the incidents are not linked, and several other suspects may be responsible.
Anyone with information about these ATM machine thefts and/or who can identify the suspects involved is encouraged to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.
Background:
The Edmonton Police Service is cautioning hotels and other businesses that offer ATM services to customers to take steps to protect their machines, after several of the money machines were recently stolen.
Detectives are investigating several incidents involving the theft of ATM machines from area businesses, including hotels, which have occurred across the city.