Oops! Man accused of robbing Ozark bank ATM leaves ID at the scene
A Houston, Texas man with a history of organized crime is accused of robbing a bank in Ozark.
The biggest flaw in the alleged heist? Leaving his identification card at the scene.
Nigel D. Luchin is accused of using a stolen Ford F-250 and a heavy-duty chain with hooks to dismantle an ATM from the Southern Bank on Jackson Street around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 30, the third reported ATM robbery in southwest Missouri in a three-day period.
Luchin and an unidentified accomplice subsequently abandoned the truck down the street from the Ozark bank, according to court documents, where investigators said Luchin left his ID near the driver's seat. They reportedly took $37,700 from the destroyed ATM before fleeing the area.
The man's ID, a bucket from Harbor Freight left in the truck, and surveillance cameras helped federal prosecutors file federal bank robbery charges Monday.
Investigators said they were able to determine that Luchin had recently purchased the heavy-duty chain from Harbor Freight and cross-referenced the Springfield hardware store's surveillance camera to see if it matched the man in the ID card. The Ford F-250, according to court documents, was stolen from Tom's Diesel in Nixa shortly before the robbery, where a nearby camera had footage of two men at the business when the truck was taken around midnight.
While reviewing footage of cameras near Tom's Diesel, investigators said they noticed two vehicles driving near the area before checking their license plates. One of the vehicles had Florida plates, according to court documents, and was a rental car recently booked by Luchin in Texas.
Fewer than 24 hours after the Ozark robbery, authorities in Houston — a 10-hour drive from Christian County — told Missouri investigators they spotted the two vehicles. It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon if an arrest had been made.
Luchin was reportedly sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 in the Houston area for a string of thefts at businesses along with four other men, but he was apparently paroled.
Southwest Missouri has experienced several ATM robberies in October in multiple towns, according to authorities. Earlier this year, four other Houston, Texas, men were arrested after being accused of dismantling an ATM in Branson and taking $36,000.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the bank that had its ATM robbed in Ozark as Great Southern Bank located on Jackson Street. It has since been corrected to the Southern Bank located on Jackson Street.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Man accused of robbing Ozark ATM leaves ID at scene
