Sheriff's office seeks info on ATM theft attempt in Eldorado

Nathan Lederman, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Feb. 20—A Santa Fe County deputy responding to a report of an ATM break-in early Feb. 8 arrived at the machine in Eldorado to find a tow hook, chain and the rear bumper of a 30-year-old Toyota truck still attached to it.

The ATM's screen face was open.

No money was taken from the machine, the sheriff's office said in a news release issued Monday, but it sustained about $5,000 in damages.

The sheriff's office is asking the public for information about the attempted theft of the CU Anytime Credit Union ATM machine at 7 Caliente Road in Eldorado.

ADT Security Services called 911 dispatchers Feb. 8 to report someone had tried to break into the machine, and the deputy was dispatched around 4:30 a.m., according to an incident report.

While the deputy did not encounter potential suspects, tire tracks left in the snow helped paint a picture of the attempted robbery.

"It appears the person(s) backed the vehicle up once, ripped off the bottom cover then backed up again and tried to rip open the safe door," the incident report states. "The safe door did not open but instead, the bumper of the vehicle was ripped off."

The tire tracks led deputies out of the parking lot where the ATM is located and east onto Avenida Vista Grande, according to the incident report. However, law enforcement were unable to keep following the snowy tracks "due to other vehicles on the roadway."

Small foot prints — about 10 inches long and covered in small, octagon patterns — were found around the ATM, possibly belonging to a woman, according to the incident report. The tow hook was swabbed by deputies for potential DNA evidence.

Sheriff's office personnel could not find a VIN number on the torn-off bumper but were able to identify the piece as belonging to a Toyota SR5 truck manufactured between 1989 and 1994.

The news release states New Mexico State Police officers attempted to find a vehicle with a missing rear bumper while sheriff's deputies processed the scene, but came up empty-handed.