Loreauville, LA (KPEL News) - Thieves who have been ripping ATMs out of businesses in Louisiana are getting bolder. The problem is plaguing not only Acadiana but the entire country.

Acadia, St. Martin, Lafayette, Evangeline, St. Landry, and now Iberia Parish authorities are looking for the crew stealing heavy duty trucks and then using them to yank money machines out of businesses. The criminals then dump the truck and what's left of the ATM in an area that is not well-traveled.

Until last week, they targeted stores with ATMs in them.

Eddie Thibodeaux with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office said investigators were dealing with more than a half dozen of these thefts that had occurred over a two month period. Detectives there were collaborating with their counterparts in other parishes to find the people responsible for stealing the machines.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz told the media previously that the thieves use primitive tactics, like wearing ski masks, to avoid identification. However, he and his department were developing plans to nab them.

This time, the bad guys stole a Ford F-250 truck in Lafayette Parish, drove it to Loreauville, and ripped out a freestanding ATM at a bank.

Iberia Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to an alarm at Community First Bank on North Main Street in Loreauville at 3 AM on Friday, February 2, 2024. When they arrived they discovered that the ATM on the bank property had been "forcefully removed."

The ATM machine and the vehicle they used to pull it out with were later recovered on Ed Broussard Road.

Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant, is asked to call police in your area to help catch these audacious criminals.

The 10 Most Stolen Vehicles In Texas By Make and Model

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau annual "Hot Wheels" report, these were the most common vehicles stolen in Texas. KDAF-TV broke the data down to the specific year for each one too. Here's what they found.

MOST RECKLESS DRIVERS' VEHICLES

We've all seen 'em.

That souped-up vehicle sitting next to you at the red light or blowing your doors off on the interstate.

When you lay eyes on one of those beauties, the thought runs through your mind - 'Man, I would get in SO much trouble behind the wheel of that bad boy'.

And you're probably right. But which vehicles on the road today are causing drivers to take the most risks?

BestLife story breaks looks at a study from North Bay Legal and Insurify to pinpoint exactly which vehicles are being piloted by the most reckless drivers, according to figures from the National Highway Safety Administration.

Gallery Credit: Jeff Harkness

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