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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- The man who reported finding a stolen bank ATM abandoned at a construction site has been arrested and is being investigated in the possible theft of money that may have been left with machine.
Bill Andy Beidler, 45, of Washington was arrested Monday hours after reporting discovery of the machine to police. He was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility for investigation of theft.
While Beidler was being interviewed, he allegedly produced $500 in $20 bills from his pants pocket, police spokesman Craig Harding said.
He said Beidler told officers that he was preserving the money for safekeeping.
Officers also found $1,100 in straight, clean bills in a backpack on the front seat of Beidler's truck, he said.
Beidler purportedly went through the machine about 30 minutes before calling police, Harding said.
"The ATM was completely destroyed by a backhoe and the crime scene had been completely contaminated by Beidler and the other construction workers at the scene," Harding said.
The ATM was stolen from a Wells Fargo bank between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Saturday by thieves who used a backhoe stolen from the construction site to knock the ATM off its base and onto a stolen trailer, police said.
The amount in the ATM when it was stolen has not been disclosed.
Detectives still are searching for whoever stole the ATM.
------ Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
