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Highlands Today

ATM Bandit Found Guilty

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By Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today

Published: June 21, 2008

SEBRING — It must have sounded like a good idea at the time, busting open ATMs with a bulldozer, but Jesus A. Sanchez got caught.

And last week, Judge Anthony Ritenour found Sanchez guilty of burglary. He pleaded guilty to the grand theft of the ATM, the excavator, and the money inside the ATM, and was sentenced to five years in prison on the first count, and six years on the second.

Sanchez did catch a couple of breaks: the second sentence can be served concurrently with the first, meaning he'll have to spend only six years behind bars. He was also sentenced to six years probation on the third and fourth counts.

Sanchez agreed to pay $91,587 to Zurich North American Insurance Co., and $1,000 to Highlands Independent Bank.

The Highlands County story began on New Years Day 2007, when Lake Placid Police found an ATM from Highlands Independent Bank in a canal. The money and customer's deposits were still inside.

Witnesses saw two Hispanic men behaving suspiciously at the Walgreen's construction site and identified Sanchez, of Clewiston, was identified as one of the two. Clewiston Police provided Det. James Fansler with a mug shot, and Paul Ludlum, 41, of Clewiston, was also arrested.

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