ATM robber quickly nabbed

Published 2:19 pm Saturday, May 15, 2004

By Staff
On Thursday night at 10:22 p.m., Niles City Police responded to a robbery at the ATM at Fifth Third Bank, 322 Broadway St. in Niles.
Tonya Garrett, 32, of Miller Dr., and Jason Horvath, 30, of Miller Dr., went to the ATM to make a withdrawal. As soon as Garrett received the money from the ATM, she was approached by a white male who stated he had a gun and demanded the money.
She gave the robber her money and he ran from the scene.
Police officers responded to the scene with a K-9 unit. K-9 Rex followed the trail of the suspect leading police to an apartment building on S. 3rd Street.
An officer saw a white male matching the suspect's description quickly enter an apartment. Officers then made contact with the renter of the apartment who gave permission to check his apartment for the suspect.
Officers located Jeffery Davis, 26, of Cherry St. in Niles, standing in the shower and matching the description of the suspect.
Davis was placed under arrest for probation violation and evidence of the robbery was recovered from the apartment.
This incident is still under investigation and additional charges are expected.
The injured driver has been identified as Ronald E. Krupinski, 18, of Lahard Road in New Lenox, Ill. He was admitted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind. The extent of his injuries are unknown.
The uninjured driver of the semi-tractor trailer has been identified as Roger B. Kirtley, 34, of Day Lake Road in Cassopolis. He is employed by Kenneth Smith Trucking.
The suspects allegedly gained entry by breaking the rear kitchen window and prying open the rear door.
The stolen property includes a television, DVD player, VCR and a video game system.
The police report states that a witness, from a few houses down, saw three teenagers come around the rear of the house and the suspects were last seen carrying the stolen property walking east on Sycamore and then turning north on N. 14th Street.
A search of the vehicle, containing a driver and four passengers, indicated that there was alcohol and marijuana in the car.
The driver, Walt Joseph Gorbitz, of 1212 Lawndale in Niles, was cited for transporting an open container in a motor vehicle and released at the scene.
Passengers Francis Lee Fisher, 18, of 404 Michigan St. in Niles, and a juvenile were both arrested for possession of marijuana and taken into custody.