An enterprising thief in Albany yanked an ATM off its base at a Colony Bank on Philema Road, whisking it away like a very heavy souvenir and depositing it at a nearby park.
Dispatchers with the Dougherty County Police Department got the call just before 10 a.m. on September 21. The report was simple and bold — the ATM was gone, forcibly removed, suspect unknown, vehicle unknown. No cinematic details about chains, trucks, or time-on-task. Just an empty pad where a money box used to be.
By later that day, officers found the runaway cash cabinet parked at the entrance of Chehaw Park, several miles from the scene. Police haven’t said whether the machine was busted open, whether any money is missing, or whether the thief left so much as a scuff worth celebrating.
No arrests. No suspect description. No clever clues released to the public — just a machine’s short, strange trip from bank to park, courtesy of someone with either a plan or TikTok-fueled optimism.
The investigation is ongoing, per the Dougherty County Police Department. If you saw an ATM on an unsanctioned field trip, they’d like a word. Call 229-430-6600 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 229-436-TIPS.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.