Two suspects from attempted ATM theft in Round Lake remain at large

Investigators have exhausted their leads on two of the men who attempted to steal an ATM from a Chase Bank in Round Lake last month, police said Friday, but a third man has been charged with a litany of offenses including theft.

Nathaniel C. Waits, 20, of Houston, Texas, is also charged with criminal damage to property, possession of burglary tools, aggravated fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, resisting a peace officer and leaving the scene of an accident.

Round Lake Deputy Police Chief David Prus said Friday that Round Lake investigators worked with the FBI to try to apprehend two other people believed to have been involved with the attempted ATM robbery. Prus said the investigators have closed the case pending any new information.

Prus said Waits appears to have been part of a larger crew that originated out of Illinois and operates in multiple states.

A Lake County judge set Waits' bail at $150,000 last month.

The attempted ATM theft happened at about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 10, according to Round Lake police. A 911 caller reported that someone was trying to steal an ATM from the Chase Bank at 1271 Route 134. The caller said someone in a pickup truck was pulling the ATM with a chain while a white sedan followed.

When officers arrived, they found the ATM lying in the road near the intersection of Town Center Road and Fox Trail, about 750 feet from the bank. Officers also found an unoccupied pickup truck nearby and spotted a white sedan parked nearby with three men inside.

The driver of the sedan sped away from officers but later crashed near a marsh area on the 500 block of Fox Trail, police said. The three men fled into the marsh, according to police.

Police dog Dax and partner Lake County sheriff's deputy John Forlenza were called to the scene and tracked down Waits. Police said at the time that the man Dax tracked is believed to be the driver of the white sedan.