Two Massachusetts men face multiple charges in connection with a theft from two ATMs in Berwick.
David Barker, 39, and Efrain Montero, 40, both of Lawrence, Massachusetts, are accused of stealing a medical supply van from Kittery and using power tools to break into Northeast Credit Union’s ATM kiosk at 380 Portland St. – part of Route 4 – on the night of June 17.
Barker and Montero disabled the alarm system to steal “a large amount of US currency” from the ATMs, Berwick Police Chief Timothy Towne said Tuesday in a statement on the department’s Facebook page.
The two were arrested Monday morning at an undisclosed location in Massachusetts. They were arraigned in Lawrence District Court on charges of larceny, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, receiving stolen motor vehicles, possession of burglary tools and money laundering. They were held on $500,000 cash bail.
Towne said his officers had done a routine security check at the Northeast Credit Union ATM kiosk on the night of the break-in. Berwick police teamed up with the FBI, the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and officials with seven police departments in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont to compare case notes and crime patterns.
The investigation led police to a group of people based in Lawrence who were responsible for more than 10 ATM burglaries and a burglary in which suspects stole Apple iPhones, computers and electronic equipment.
Investigators used digital, forensic and physical evidence to connect Barker and Montero to the Lawrence-based gang of thieves.
Barker and Montero will face criminal proceedings in Maine, according to Towne.
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