Truck drives through gas station wall, thieves steal ATM

Another ATM machine has been stolen west of Edmonton, the second such theft in recent weeks.

The latest crime happened about 6:50 a.m. Saturday when thieves smashed a stolen pickup truck through the wall of a Fas Gas station on Highway 43 near Onoway.

The stolen 2001 red Dodge Ram pickup was later recovered by police in a rural area near Stony Plain.

The ATM has not been recovered.

A similar crime happened less than 20 kilometres away on Nov. 26.

Witnesses in that case saw three men in hunting jackets attach a rope to an ATM in the lobby of the Alberta Beach Hotel. The suspects drove off in a black truck, towing the ATM behind.

"There has been a little spike in these recently," said RCMP Cpl. Kim Mueller. "Whether they're drug related or just people who are desperate, we don't know."