A Leesburg man is accused of damaging an ATM during an attempted burglary and then leaving the scene in a stolen box truck.
Michael Lee Floyd, 33, was arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal mischief (over $1,000 in damage) and burglary (curtilage of structure) in connection with the failed heist last month at the Bank of America branch at 401 N. 14th St. Floyd is one of two suspects in the case. No information was available about the second one.
At around 6 a.m. on April 27, a Leesburg police officer responded to the bank after receiving a report of damage to the ATM. The officer observed the ATM’s doors were ajar and there was a metal bar approximately 3 feet long on the ground nearby. The officer processed the machine for fingerprints but couldn’t find any. No money was taken but damage to the ATM was estimated at $3,860, according to the police report.
The officer noticed tire prints about 15 feet from the ATM and tire impressions on the nearby curb that appeared to be from a dual-wheeled vehicle. The officer spoke by phone to a Bank of America security officer in Pennsylvania, who provided surveillance photos from the ATM camera, the report said.
The photographs showed that at 4:46 a.m., a yellow “Penske” style box truck approached the drive-through ATM. It was driven by a person wearing a yellow hoodie and white gloves. After pulling past the ATM, a man wearing a light blue hoodie with “Reebok” on the front, black pants, black/white/blue tennis shoes, and a black surgical mask got out of the cargo department. It appeared the man – later identified as Floyd – was tampering with the ATM. The photos did not show the truck leaving but there was dirt from where the vehicle entered the roadway that indicated it was heading west on Center Street. The photos also provided a tag number for the truck, according to the report.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, a Lake County sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the area of Montclair Road and Sandy Oak Circle. The passenger of the vehicle fled the scene, but the driver was detained. The deputy provided Leesburg Police with a photo of the driver that confirmed he was the same individual who drove the vehicle to and from Bank of America, the report said.
A tag search revealed the vehicle belongs to Timberwood Properties in Lady Lake. A manager and employee of Timberwood Properties were able to identify both suspects as former employees. Asked how they could have gained access to the truck, the manager said employees either hide the keys in certain known locations or they leave them in the vehicle. He said the suspects knew where the keys were typically stored. The manager completed a vehicle theft report, according to the report.
Because Floyd and the other suspect were identified by their former manager and co-worker, warrants were issued for their arrest. Floyd was picked up by Leesburg Police on Wednesday afternoon and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was also charged with a pair of probation violations. Bond was set at $7,000.