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A movie-plot like heist played out in a small Saskatchewan town over the weekend.
An Automated Teller Machine was stolen from the Affinity Credit Union in St. Louis, Sask. around 5:20 a.m. Sunday. The village is located about a half an hour south of Prince Albert.
P.A. RCMP said officers recovered the ATM around 2 p.m. the same day. They found it in the bush not far from the town of Hagen, Sask. –about an 18-minute drive from St. Louis.
Police said cash had been taken from the machine.
A farmer also notified officers about finding a white Dodge Ram pick up truck near Hagen, but in a separate location from the ATM. The truck was reportedly stolen from the Hoey, Sask. area.
The Prince Albert forensic identification section is examining the ATM and several items seized at both the scene of the theft and from the stolen vehicle itself.
Neighbours, who asked to remain anonymous, watched the heist play out early Sunday.
One woman said she heard a loud crash. Then, when she went outside to see what was going on, she saw three men in a white Dodge truck backed up to the front door of the bank.
The men smashed the front door of the bank and proceeded to attach a yellow tow rope to the ATM.
“I see the truck take a run at it and the rope broke, so they had to do it again,” she said.
The second attempt was successful and the truck dragged the ATM down the street, towards the Birch Hills highway.
Another neighbour said the men stopped the truck several times and attempted to lift the ATM into the back of the truck, but the machine was too heavy.
A second pick up truck was witnessed arriving to assist. Both trucks were last seen heading east on highway 25 toward Birch Hills.
As of Monday, Wakaw RCMP has been advised of a stolen Ford F 150 from the Blaine Lake area that was found near Bellevue, Sask. –about a 35-minute drive from St. Louis.
Officers said the truck is located in a swampy area and recovery is pending. The vehicle is being investigated as possibly linked to the incident in St. Louis.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Wakaw RCMP or their local Crime Stoppers tip line.
– With files from paNOW
