ACADIA PARISH (CROWLEY) — Crowley police are investigating an early morning ATM theft that left a local business with an estimated $20,000 in damage, and investigators believe the crime may be connected to similar incidents across Acadiana.
The break-in happened early Saturday morning at Mikey's Seafood and Specialty Meats in Crowley.
Business owner Mikey Stutes said he knew something was wrong after receiving a call.
"I was on one phone, my wife was on the other phone, and we just knew something wasn't right," Stutes said.
When he arrived at the business, he found extensive damage.
"It's not something you want to walk into, or drive up on," he said.
Surveillance video shows the suspects spent about 90 seconds at the business.
"By the time these guys drove in the parking lot and left, it took them a minute and 30 seconds," Stutes said.
According to Stutes, the suspects used a stolen truck to force their way into the property before removing the ATM.
"They stole the vehicle. They backed into the building, re-backed into the ATM machine, knocked it loose, loaded it up and left," Crowley Police Chief Troy Hebert told KATC.
Police said the truck had been stolen in Scott about 40 minutes before the burglary in Crowley.
Investigators say the suspects took less than $1,000 from the ATM before abandoning the stolen truck in Mire, where it was recovered the following morning.
Crowley police are now working with other law enforcement agencies to determine whether the suspects are responsible for similar ATM thefts in the region.
"We are talking to different agencies that had similar cases," Hebert said.
In a Facebook post, the Crowley Police Department said detectives previously worked with former State Rep. John Stefanski in 2023 to strengthen penalties for ATM thefts and target the growing crime trend.
Police say investigators are pursuing several leads.
"We're trying to link it all together, and I'm pretty confident we'll come up with more leads," Hebert said. "There are some promising things that we're looking at, and we hope to get something soon on it."
As the investigation continues, Stutes said his focus is on repairing the damage and seeing those responsible held accountable.
"I feel like we're going to catch them—I really do," he said. "I just hope that our judges and DAs do the best they can to make these guys serve what they should."
The investigation remains ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
