A would-be thief armed with nothing more than a metal fork and a length of pipe tried twice to break into an ATM at a small-town Texas bank before sunrise, and investigators say he still couldn't get the job done. The Gillespie County Sheriff's Office is now asking the public for help identifying the man caught on surveillance video outside the Security State Bank & Trust branch in Harper.
Two Attempts, Same Morning, Same Machine
According to FOX 7 Austin, the Gillespie County Sheriff's Office is investigating the attempted burglary, which happened in the pre-dawn hours at the bank in Harper, Texas. KENS 5 reported that the suspect made two separate attempts on September 20, first around 4:50 a.m. and again roughly 90 minutes later at about 6:15 a.m.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage of the suspect outside the bank. At the scene, investigators recovered the evidence of just how improvised the attempt was: a metal fork and a piece of pipe, apparently the only tools the suspect had on hand.
A Small Hill Country Town in the Spotlight
Harper lies about 23 miles west of Fredericksburg along U.S. Highway 290, per the Texas State Historical Association, amid Hill Country ranches and small businesses. The targeted bank is Security State Bank & Trust.
Gillespie County Crime Stoppers is asking anyone who recognizes the person in the surveillance footage to come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 830-997-8477 or through gillespiecountycrimestoppers.com, and tipsters may be eligible for cash rewards if their information leads to an arrest.
Steep Penalties Despite the Failed Break-In
Even though the suspect never got into the machine, Texas law gives prosecutors significant leverage if he's identified and charged. Under Senate Bill 516, passed in 2021, any intentional impairment or destruction of an ATM — regardless of whether money is actually stolen — is a third-degree felony in Texas punishable by two to 10 years in prison, according to the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. Previously, unsuccessful ATM damage was treated as a lesser state-jail felony.
Separately, Texas Penal Code Section 30.03 criminalizes intruding into or breaking open any coin-operated or cash collection machine without consent as Burglary of Coin-Operated or Coin Collection Machines, a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in county jail and fines as high as $4,000, according to the law firm Saputo Toufexis. Prosecutors typically weigh misdemeanor versus felony charges based on the extent of physical damage caused during an attempted break-in.
Part of a Broader Pattern at Outdoor ATMs
The case fits into a wider trend that has worried banks nationwide. Physical smash-and-grab attacks on ATMs jumped roughly 165% across North America between 2021 and 2022, according to the ATM Industry Association as reported by KENS 5, pushing financial institutions to add bollards, internal GPS trackers, and cash-staining dye systems, with security experts noting that outdoor ATMs in rural areas remain frequent targets for opportunistic attacks.
Those investments appear to be paying off elsewhere. A 2026 security industry report from the American Bankers Association found that real-time video surveillance and GPS tracking deployments yield a 70% arrest rate nationwide and have helped recover more than $150 million in stolen cash. Meanwhile, FBI Crime Data Explorer figures show reported burglaries nationwide fell by 12.4% between June 2025 and May 2026 compared with the previous 12-month period, part of a broader single- to double-digit decline in property crime metrics across the country.
For now, the identity of the man caught on camera outside the Harper bank remains unknown, and the Gillespie County Sheriff's Office is counting on the community to help close the gap.
