‘I would rather rob a bank than work for my brother’: Florida man stole excavator to remove ATM next door to police station
06/05/2026 1:00 pm PDT
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) -- A man has been sentenced to 11 months behind bars followed by three years of probation after he stole an excavator and used to it to try to remove an ATM from a bank last year.
DeFuniak Springs Police said an officer noticed on April 16, 2025, that someone was using an excavator to try to remove an ATM from a bank right next door to the police department. When the officer attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect fled.
Investigators viewed security footage to identify 43-year-old Christopher Hughes. When speaking with investigators, he admitted he had stolen the excavator to take the ATM. He told interviewers, “I would rather rob a bank than work for my brother,” according to police.
On April 22, 2025, Hughes was charged with grand theft of construction equipment, criminal mischief, and burglary of structure with property damage, according to WMBB.
WFLA reports that he pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced June 2.
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