Money from two stolen ATM's found burned

• News Home
• More from News of the North

Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 3:48 PM

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - An ATM bandit arrested in Interior Alaska used a blow torch to destroy all the contents of the two machines he took which amounted to about $10,000.

The first burglary occurred Tuesday at the Moose Lodge in Delta Junction.  That machine had about  $3,000 in it.  The next day the ATM from Salcha Store was taken.  It had $6,800 in it.

Alaska State Troopers say that in both cases two men with identifiable clothing and their vehicle were captured on video surveillance.

The investigation was able to determine who owned the vehicle and where it might be located.  As members of the Fairbanks Criminal Suppression Unit were responding to that location, the Jeep Liberty was spotted traveling north on the Parks Highway near Gold Hill.

The vehicle was stopped and two men were detained.  They were the passenger, 42-year-old Sam Jesus Carter of California, and the driver, 46-year-old Jeri Acuna Blanco of Fairbanks.

There was an outstanding $50,000 California arrest warrant for Carter for failing to register as a sex offender.  A search warrant for their residence and the vehicle resulted in several key pieces of evidence being recovered that placed Carter at both crimes.

The Trooper dispatch says Carter told them that no money could be recovered since it was burnt.  Evidence revealed that both ATMs were cut open using a blow torch with the contents destroyed.

Carter was jailed on two counts each of burglary and theft in the second degree and criminal mischief in the third degree.

The dispatch did not say what charges, if any, were lodged against Blanco.

The investigation is continuing.

More from News of the North

• Murkowski, Klobuchar reintroduce bill to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome while supporting individuals living with FASD

  Washington, D.C. (KINY) - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) Thursday reintroduced the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Respect Act of 2023, legislation which reauthorizes programs and funding to aid individuals and families impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

• Aurora Behavioral Health Center readies for opening; Community Open House happening June 14

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Bartlett Regional Hospital is opening its doors to the new crisis stabilization center on campus for a community open house on Jun. 14 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

• Juneau man pleads guilty to bank and credit union theft

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - A Juneau man was an armored transport guard who stole $579,400.00 entrusted to him by three banks and two federal credit unions.

• Alaska Native Language Center film wins Northwest Regional Emmy

  Fairbanks, Alaska (UAF) - The Alaska Native Language Center’s film “Awake” has won a Northwest Regional Emmy through the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

• 'Ending an Injustice': Delegation reintroduces landless legislation

  Washington, D.C. (KINY) - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), Thursday issued statements on legislation that would allow the Alaska Native communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Tenakee to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA).

• Utah man sues Alaska troopers, says his job offer was yanked after revealing HIV status

  Anchorage, Alaska (AP) - A Salt Lake City man who says his job offer to become an Alaska State Trooper was rescinded after he disclosed he was HIV positive filed a lawsuit in state court Thursday to get his position on the statewide police force and to prevent others from suffering similar alleged discrimination.

• The Southeast Alaska Birding Trail is now a mobile application

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - Audubon Alaska, the state office of the National Audubon Society, has announced a new way to bird with the help of technology—the Southeast Alaska Birding Trail mobile application.

• Jacobs sentenced to 53 years for downtown Juneau murder of Scott Campbell

  Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - On Jun. 6, Superior Court Judge Amy Mead sentenced 43-year-old Fenton L. Jacobs to a composite sentence of 65 years with 12 years suspended and 53 years to serve.

• Alaska Fish and Game announces temporary liberalized regulations for Swan Lake Junior Trout Derby in Sitka

  Sitka, Alaska (KINY) - In order to provide increased opportunity for youth anglers during the annual “Swan Lake Junior Trout Derby”, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has temporarily liberalized trout regulations for Swan Lake.

• Long-term study hopes to unlock secrets of Gulf of Alaska ecosystem

  Alaska (UAF) - The University of Alaska Fairbanks is using underwater autonomous vehicles in order to learn more about the ecosystem in the Gulf of Alaska.

• Governor Dunleavy welcomes Jerry Moses as Alaska's Washington DC Office Director

  Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced that Jerry Moses has joined the Dunleavy administration as director of the State of Alaska's Washington DC Office.

• Avian influenza has returned to Alaska, and so have health advisories

  Juneau, Alaska (Alaska Beacon) - The highly pathogenic disease circling the globe stands out for its effects on wild birds, and Alaskans should be on the lookout for cases, experts say