Case dropped against 1 of 5 men charged with lassoing Roseville bank ATM, freeing it with pickup

Charges have been dismissed against one of five men charged with lassoing a Roseville bank's ATM filled with thousands of dollars in cash last month and yanking it from its mooring with a pickup truck.

Dekorius Durham, 32, of St. Paul is no longer charged with theft and property damage in connection with the failed heist attempt on Dec. 12 outside the Great Southern Bank near County Road B2 and N. Fairview Avenue.

"The court dismissed the complaint against Durham for lack of probable cause," Dennis Gerhardstein, spokesman for the County Attorney's Office, said Thursday.

Still charged with theft and property damage are Houstonians Christopher E. Merchant, 23; Larry D. Gill, 23; Kenneth D. Brown, 23; and Leonard D. Williams, 25. All were released from custody after posting bail. They each have court hearings scheduled in the coming weeks.

Bank video surveillance captured Merchant taking a crowbar to the ATM about 4 a.m. before he and Williams connected it to chains attached to the nearly 3-ton pickup, the charges read. Gill joined in trying to lift the ATM, but it fell over and never left bank property, the charges continued.

According to the charges:

ATM alarms went off about 4 a.m. outside the bank, and police arrived just as a pickup truck was leaving the bank's parking lot with Brown driving. The officer turned on his squad's emergency lights in an effort to pull over the pickup, but Brown drove over the median and a large rock while trying to evade capture. He fled from the still-moving pickup, which soon crashed into a car and a yellow bus.

After a "lengthy foot chase," Brown was arrested, and police soon determined that the pickup had been stolen two days earlier.

Back at the bank, the heavily damaged ATM machine was lying in the parking lot holding more than $5,000 in cash.

Thanks to the seizure of a hotel key by police from one of Brown's pockets, officers went to the nearby Key Inn. The clerk said Brown's Texas identification was used to make a reservation, and four other men had just entered that room.

Police went to the room and ordered the men to exit with their hands up. They closed and locked the door in response, then continued ignoring police demands that they surrender. A few hours later, police entered the room through a window and arrested Merchant, Gill, Durham and Williams.