A man was sentenced Friday to 100 days in jail after he tried to steal an ATM from an east Vancouver credit union.
Anthony C. Osborne, 31, no city of residence listed, pleaded guilty Dec. 7 to second-degree theft in Clark County Superior Court. He was originally charged with first-degree attempted theft, attempt to elude and first-degree malicious mischief.
Judge Suzan Clark ordered the sentence, which was 10 days higher than the agreed-upon recommendation. Clark cited Osborne’s lack of appearance for a previous court hearing and explanation for the absence as her reason for ordering the higher sentence.
“I’m hoping that you will get out, get to work and stay out of jail,” Clark said.
Vancouver police responded at about 6 a.m. March 20, 2022, to the Unitus Community Credit Union, 800 S.E. 192nd Ave., for reports that someone had backed up a Ford pickup to an ATM. One caller said they saw a man approach the machine with what appeared to be a crow bar. Another caller reported seeing a man take a yellow tow strap toward the machine, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When the truck tried to drive away twice, the caller could see there was resistance, as if the strap was attached to something heavy, court records state.
Responding police saw the pickup traveling north on 192nd Avenue with a yellow strap trailing behind it. When officers tried to stop the truck, the driver sped up and drove recklessly to evade police. The truck drove into oncoming traffic and caused other cars to swerve out of the way, according to the affidavit.
At 6:19 a.m., Washington State Patrol troopers said they were following the pickup near Northwest 10th Avenue and Onsdorff Boulevard. Troopers stopped pursuing the truck as it traveled south on state Highway 503, passing Hidden Meadow Drive, court records state.
Shortly after 6:30 a.m., the pickup crashed into two cars at Lowe’s, 11413 N.E. 76th St. The two people whose cars were hit said the driver of the truck ran away. He was seen jumping fences in a nearby neighborhood until Clark County sheriff’s deputies arrested him, according to the affidavit.
Police viewed surveillance video from the credit union, which showed a man, identified as Osborne, prying open the ATM with a crowbar and then tying the tow strap to the machine, according to court records. However, officers said Osborne got into the passenger’s seat of the truck and that another man was driving at the time.
