ST. LOUIS COUNTY Mo. – Court records show two men broke into a north St. Louis County ATM two separate times, stealing more than $90,000 before police tracked them down.
The break-ins happened at the Belle Park Plaza off Bellefontaine Road in the early morning hours of Nov. 30 and Dec. 12.
According to the criminal complaint, St. Louis County Police said Ronald Blake and Aveon Jones were caught on camera forcibly breaking into the back of the machines using various tools. The two drove off with more than $32,000 the first time. Less than two weeks later, they stole more than $57,000.
Police say the same car they used is also linked to more ATM break-ins in north county and Illinois. Local residents called the break-ins brazen.
“There’s security, there’s cameras, there’s people watching people,” resident Mark Mollerus said. “The more brazen you get, it’s going to catch up to you.”
The break-ins occurred near Steve Moore’s restaurant, Celebrity Soul Food. Moore said he drove up right after police responded to the first break-in.
“Unfortunately, you do have people who come in from the outside who are just predators and up to no good,” Moore said.
Moore said people should feel safe at Belle Park Plaza. He’s hired private security for the lot, and says people there are always watching for suspicious behavior.
“If you’re thinking about it, think twice, because everybody around here has cameras,” he said.
Court records show the men were arrested back on May 22. Blake is charged with four counts of class C felonies.