ST. CHARLES, Mo. – An ATM heist mystery, seemed like the perfect crime until St. Charles Police came back with five suspects from Texas. The plot unraveled in a fascinating trail of crime-fighting technology.

During an ATM attack at the St. Charles Bank of America in the middle of the afternoon last August, masked suspects drove off with a reported $294,000.

The case appeared to be cold until St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch’s Office announced charges. He said, “There’s no other way to describe it, but dogged police work by the officers.”

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Video from a nearby Mobile On The Run was key, where court records say an accomplice acted as a lookout. Investigators also used license plate reader cameras, along with facial recognition technology, to reportedly track the suspects all across the St. Louis metro area.

St. Charles Police Lt. Tom Wilkison said, “We had eight of our detectives go down to Texas and spend four days on this investigation. They just came back yesterday very excited about the information they were able to obtain down there and the charges that were issued.”

We first told you about the ATM crime connection to Texas this past June, when we revealed multiple cases in a one-month period.

Then last week, a $45,000 Creve Coeur ATM attack, in the early morning of November 30th, was traced to a Texas suspect now charged in St. Louis County.

Believe it or not, it’s a case completely unrelated to the St. Charles case.

McCulloch said, “I would be curious to find out why individuals from Houston, Texas, came up to St. Louis, specifically to St. Charles. That would be part of the investigation that I would like to find out.”

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McCulloch’s office has charged three adults from Texas – 19-year-old Davion Roberts, 24-year-old Earl Beal III, and 40-year-old Kendris Boston – each with felony stealing and kidnapping.

McCulloch explained the kidnapping charge by saying, “An individual was working on one of the ATM’s and when he saw these guys approaching, he knew what was up. He tried to walk away from them, but they grabbed him, they restrained him, they kept him from walking away from his liberty, and that falls under the charge of kidnapping.”

Two juveniles are also charged, bringing the total of suspects up to five. The juvenile court keeps the names and details about the minors private, but they may also be brought to St. Charles to answer to the alleged crimes.

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