Six individuals have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City charged them with the robbery of $200,000 from an ATM. This daring act took place in Taylorsville, Utah, at a Mountain America Credit Union branch, drawing a swift response from local police and the FBI.
The indicted include Texans Calvin Brantley, 29, Jevaunte Reese, 32, Lashawn Charleswell, 31, and Keaira Woods, 26, alongside Tiras Jack, 44, and Harold Oliver, 37 hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their heist allegedly occurred while an ATM technician was servicing the machine on September 11. According to the U.S. Department of Justice from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah, the accused menaces forced the technician down, with one commanding him to "stay down" before making away with the cash stash.
Law enforcement was quick to respond to the facility's duress alarm. There, they gathered descriptions and began an investigation that led them to two Jeep Grand Cherokees, with rental license plates reported stolen. One vehicle bore a Colorado plate, the other from Florida, yet both were under the watch of GPS trackers which led the police to a rest stop in Paragonah, Utah. The authorities swooped in, arresting the sextet and recovering the majority of the purloined cash, $195,691 to be precise.
The group faces charges specifically for credit union robbery. Brantley, Oliver, Reese, and Charleswell are set to make their court appearance on October 7, with Jack and Woods following on October 8. These proceedings are slated for the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse, announced U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Taylorsville Police Department along with the FBI's Salt Lake City Field Office have taken the reins in the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda is handling the prosecution, as the case continues to unfold against the backdrop of a community momentarily shaken by the boldness of crime, showing yet again that not even a seemingly secure ATM is immune to the reaches of those who choose to operate outside the law.
