The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says two Council Bluffs men were arrested this (Thursday) morning, following the theft of an ATM from the Farmer’s Trust and Savings Bank in Earling. 34-year old Robert Edie and 19-year old Patrick Eggerling were taken into custody on felony charges which include: 1st degree theft; 3rd degree burglary; Possession of Stolen Property; and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. Both men were also charged with Possession of Burglary tools, an aggravated misdemeanor. They were being held in the Shelby County Jail.

Officials say deputies were called to the bank at around 4-a.m., after witnesses observed a Chevy Blazer with two male suspects, at the bank. The witnesses saw the men use a log chain to pull an ATM out of the bank and onto the street. They then allegedly loaded the machine into the vehicle and took off.

After a description of the SUV was broadcast to law enforcement agencies, a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy observed the vehicle on Highway 30, near Logan. The suspects failed to yield to the deputy, who then engaged in a pursuit. The chase continued to Interstate 680, with the Iowa State Patrol and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies joining in the pursuit.

The incident concluded with the SUV being wrecked when it crashed into a ditch on Whipperwill Road, near mile marker 18 of I-680. Both suspects ran from the vehicle, but were eventually taken into custody a short distance from where the SUV was abandoned. Deputies recovered the ATM from the rear of the Blazer after the suspects were taken into custody. The SUV was later determined to have been stolen from Wright County.