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Thousands of dollars missing from ATM

LAWTON, Okla. – Several thousands of dollars disappeared from an ATM in a shopping center parking lot in Lawton overnight, leaving police wondering if they are investigating a case of burglary, or possibly, embezzlement.

Police were called late last night to NW Ferris and Sheridan Rd. after a Fort Sill Federal Credit Union employee told police the ATM did not have all the money it should have.

Police would not say exactly how much money was stolen.  They called it a "substantial amount totaling several thousands of dollars".  No arrests have been made yet, but police say they are talking to several people, including some employees who may have had access to the machine.

"They were contacted by an internal alarm of the ATM machine stating there was a problem with the ATM machine," said Lawton Police Capt. Craig Akard.

Akard says the workers soon realized they were not faced with a typical problem.

"When the representatives got there and opened the ATM, they noticed some cash missing.  They were surprised and understandably upset," said Akard.

But even though money was missing, the machine did not look like it had been damaged and it was still working properly.  Akard says detectives are looking further into that mystery.

"Normally when someone tries to get money out of an ATM machine, they normally take the machine somewhere else, totally destroy it.  In this case it wasn't destroyed, so that's why we're very interested in anyone who has access to that ATM machine," said Akard.

Akard says people with access would include select FSFCU employees and employees working for a security company hired by the bank to fill and empty the ATM's.

Akard says just last night they told officers to be on the lookout for a specific security officer who was in charge of the ATM and who seemed to have gone missing.

"They attempted to call her on the phone.  They couldn't get a response, just to try and find her to make sure she was alright."

Akard says the woman was later found, questioned, and later released.  He says, as of now, no one has been eliminated as a suspect.  But he says regardless if they are employed by the bank or not, either way they are looking at a harsh punishment if caught.

"I'm under the understanding that it doesn't matter to them if it's a small amount or large amount.  They plan on pursuing this to the fullest extent of the law and we plant to investigating this until we find out what happened to the money."

Police say because FSFCU is a federal bank, the FBI could take over the investigation.  They also say that because the ATM was located in a business parking lot, they are busy collecting surveillance video from several nearby businesses and the ATM itself.