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TAYLORSVILLE — Six people were arrested in southern Utah Wednesday several hours after police say they robbed an ATM being repaired in Taylorsville.
Just before 9:30 a.m., two men wearing hoodies and masks got out of a Jeep Cherokee at Mountain America Credit Union, 5471 S. 4015 West, pushed down a person repairing an ATM at the business and took $200,000, according to a police booking affidavit. Taylorsville police say those men got back into their vehicle, driven by a third man, and fled. A second Jeep Cherokee, which may have been acting as a lookout, was seen following a short time later.
As investigators worked the case, they discovered several license plates from Jeep Cherokees were reported earlier that morning as being stolen from several rental car companies. One of the suspects claimed that her plates had been stolen from the Jeep she had rented. That Jeep, however, had a GPS tracking device on it and was discovered in Payson and later at a rest stop near Paragonah, Iron County, off I-15, according to the affidavit.
With the assistance of the Department of Public Safety helicopter, police located that vehicle at the rest stop and searched it.
"Bags were found in the Jeep with $200,000 cash and clothing items worn in the robbery," the affidavit states. Several license plates were also recovered, according to police.
By that point, investigators say the group had ditched one of their Jeeps and combined into one. Police say all six people refused to talk to officers. At least one was carrying an identification card from Louisiana and another was determined to be homeless, the affidavit says.
Jevaunte Reese, 32, Calvin Brantley, 29, Lashawn Charleswell, 31, Harold Oliver, 37, Tiras Jackson, 42, and Keaira Nicole Woods, 26, were each booked into the Iron County Jail for investigation of robbery.
Police are investigating whether the group is tied to a bigger criminal organization. The FBI is assisting in the investigation, according to Taylorsville police.
Whether the group knew the ATM would be having repair work done or if they happened to come across it by chance is part of the ongoing investigation.
