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AVOCA — A Madelia resident was charged last week with felony level second-degree burglary, theft, first-degree property damage, and possession of burglary tools after reportedly attempting to steal an ATM from a bar in Avoca in September 2021.
Police were called to the Avoca Bar on Sep. 24, 2021, on a report of a burglary. The manager of the bar told dispatch that the suspect had left in a vehicle heading southbound on U.S. 59.
At the bar, officers were informed that the manager had received a call from an alarm company and went to the bar, where they found a vehicle parked in the back alley.
The manager stated she and her husband saw a man trying to load the bar’s ATM into the backseat. Upon being confronted, the man reportedly left the ATM, got into the vehicle, and drove off.
According to the criminal complaint, the suspect was wearing a coat and face covering when he entered the bar through a window. Video footage showed that the man brought a sledgehammer and bolt cutters with him. He reportedly removed the ATM and dragged it outside toward his vehicle.
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The cost to repair the window was estimated to be around $1,000, and it would cost several thousand dollars to repair the damage to the ATM, valued at $3,500. A flash drive of the bar’s security was given to officers, who were able to run the license plate.
The license plate was registered to Troy Martin, 38, who matched the physical description given by the bar manager.
Investigators with the Murray County Sheriff’s office spoke with area police to confirm Martin’s identity. It was reported that Brown County had experienced similar ATM thefts and that the vehicle associated with one of those instances was consistent with the vehicle used in the Avoca burglary.
In Oct. 2021, investigators learned that Martin was incarcerated in Brown County Jail, where he agreed to speak with Murray County investigators. During an interview, Martin reportedly admitted to breaking into the bar for money, and that he was supposed to be working with another man who didn’t show up.
Martin stated he didn’t know where the vehicle was, but that the tools he had used for the break-in were likely still in the trunk.
Martin was issued a summons to appear in Murray County Fifth District Court on Sept. 9.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, a $20,000 fine, or both for the burglary charge. The property damage charge carries a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine, while the theft charge has a maximum sentence of two and a half years. Martin also faces a potential three years and/or $5,000 fine for the charge of burglary tool possession.
