Man accused of smashing stolen U-Haul truck to steal ATM turns himself in

ACWORTH, Ga — Acworth police have identified the man who they say stole an ATM from a Texaco Food Mart in May.

Video captured a man, who police say is 22-year-old Wilbert Demond Holmes, Jr, exiting a U-Haul van, opening the van doors and walking toward the front of the store.

Moments later, police said the video shows Holmes smashing through the glass doors with a metal object. Investigators said Holmes then arrived with the U-Haul and pulled at the ATM that was bolted to the floor.

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After several failed attempts to remove the ATM, Holmes backs the van into the front of the store and crashes into the ATM to get it loose, police said.

Once the ATM is loose, police said Holmes is seen dragging it outside and loading it onto the van. Police later located the U-Haul at a store on Canton Road and confirmed it had been stolen.

Investigators followed up with LaGrange Police Department about a similar incident in their area and have worked together on this case.

“Lagrange police department responded to our lookout and let us know they had a similar incident in their jurisdiction. He committed the same type of crime in their city with a stolen U-Haul truck and the Alabama state trooper pulled him over with the ATM in the back of his vehicle. In both cases he stole a U-Haul truck and used that to commit his crime, returned the U-Haul truck and then left in his personal vehicle,” said Corporal Eric Mistretta of the Acworth Police Department.

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Police say Holmes was charged for the crime he committed in Lagrange and he was out on bond when he was captured stealing the ATM from the Texaco Mart in Acworth, in May.

“They were able to use flock cameras and business surveillance cameras to I.D. his personal vehicle and place him in the areas where the vehicle was stolen and where he was at,” said Corporal Mistretta.

Holmes turned himself into the Cobb County Sheriff’s office shortly after police issued a warrant for his arrest. Holmes is charged with burglary, theft by taking, and two counts of criminal damage to property.

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