Man accused of stealing ATM with forklift

Add "forklift" to the list of ways to get around ATM fees.

Unless, of course, someone is watching.

Orphey Wilson, 40, wore a ski mask as he apparently worked alone early Sunday to unbolt an ATM from Bank of America at 18505 Champion Forest in Spring, Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Assistant Chief Mark Herman said.

He said he then used a stolen forklift to load the machine into a stolen U-Haul.

A witness called authorities, who arrived seconds after Wilson pulled away. He was arrested less than a mile from the bank.

Wilson's criminal history already included two jail stints for felony theft and criminal mischief charges.

He now faces charges for felony theft of over $200,000 and criminal mischief.

Each charge could result in jail time of between five and 99 years in prison, Herman said.

And there's the possibility of an even heftier price tag: Because the targeted bank property is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the incident may result in federal charges, Herman said.

ATM thefts are rare and there are usually no witnessese, he said.

"We have had it happen in the past, but this is the first time where we've actually caught the individual and recovered the property," Herman said.

zain.shauk@chron.com