DAYTON — A Rhea County man was arrested on Wednesday June 12, 2024, for charges of larceny, theft and vandalism at a gas station on Rhea County Highway in Dayton.
According to the arrest report on file at the Dayton Police Department, Francisco Campos Molina, the second shift cashier at the gas station, was charged with the theft of between $2,500 and $10,000 and vandalism over $1,000.
The investigation began early morning on June 12, 2024, where Dayton Police Department Investigator Michael Green arrived on the scene of a possible burglary that had occurred at the gas station.
Upon arriving on the scene, Green said he observed an empty ATM machine that had been cut open. He also said he observed numerous burglary tools and debris from the ATM lying on the floor.
“According to the report concerning the incident, Francisco stated at around 11 p.m. someone named Carlos called the landline at the store and requested that (Francisco) transfer a large amount of money into an account or that the owner of the store would be facing a large fine due to the store violating a fire code.”
After the call, the report states that Molina managed to take approximately $300 out of the cash register and approximately $1,000 out of a cash box behind the counter. Furthermore, the report states that Molina stated that the man on the phone told him if he could get into the ATM, he would pay him additional money.
The report states Molina used multiple tools including a concrete saw, crowbar, screwdriver, pick head axe and a sledgehammer to break open the ATM. After getting the ATM open and taking approximately $7,000, he left the scene with the money and deposited it into a Bitcoin account at a Kangaroo in Brainard, Tenn., the report states.
The entire acts of theft and vandalism were recorded on the gas stations video surveillance, Green said. Molina was arrested and charged with larceny, multiple theft offenses and vandalism charges.
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