GRATIS —A Preble County man was arrested after he tried to steal an entire ATM machine.

Preble County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Andrew Parker Jr. of Gratis after he was discovered using a tow strap to attempt to remove an ATM machine from its location, according to sheriff’s reports.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 26, at the Twin Valley Bank branch location in Gratis.

Sheriff’s deputies along with Camden Police Department, responded to a call at the local bank. The caller stated a truck was backed up to the ATM machine, according to reports.

Officials said once officers arrived they discovered the ATM had been damaged but the suspect had fled the scene.

An officer later returned to the scene and discovered the suspect had returned to the bank and had hooked up a tow strap to the ATM, according to statements issued by the Preble County Sheriff’s office.

The suspect was located and taken into custody without further incident, according to reports.

Those reports also stated additional evidence found in the vehicle linked Parker to a breaking and entering crime in a gas station in Eaton prior to the incident in Gratis.

Parker was booked in the Preble Count Jail. He was officially charged in Eaton Municipal Court on the following crimes:

• Two counts of breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony.

• Two counts of possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

• Two counts of petty theft, a first-degree misdemeanor.

• Safecracking, a fourth-degree felony.