EMPORIA — A 33-year-old man has arrested in connection with the bungled theft of an ATM from Patriots Bank in Princeton May 20. Franklin County Sheriff’s officers and Emporia police collared Jason Smith this morning in the parking lot of the Newman Memorial Hospital in Emporia, Deputy Jerrod Fredricks said. The thief tried to force open the ATM and when that failed, tried to drag it with a chain which also failed. The thief was trying to push the ATM down John Brown Road with a pickup truck when deputies arrived. The thief fled and led officers on a high-speed chase to Williamsburg until he crashed the truck. He escaped by fleeing on foot and running through Williamsburg yards. Sheriff Jeff Curry said that since then, his office has been receiving tips daily and officers have been following up leads. “We’ve been working very hard on finding him since May 20th,” Curry said. “… I’m very proud of the hard work and attention to detail that paid off for the sergeant and detective. Finding someone who is on the run is not an easy task but I’m glad we were able to arrest him and to do so without incident.”
Tuesday, June 12, 5 p.m.
