Jacob Todd Stein, 25, and Collin Michael Grosz, 25, both Minot, are charged with stealing $9,420 from the State Bank & Trust ATM in Kenmare early on the morning of Sept. 1 and also of attempting to steal money from ATMs at the State Fair Center in Minot and bank ATMs in Mohall and Sherwood.

Stein and Grosz are each charged with Class B felony attempted theft, Class B felony conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, Class C felony conspiracy to commit theft, and Class A misdemeanor wearing a mask during a commission of a crime in district court in Ward County. They are also each charged with two counts of Class C felony criminal mischief and Class C felony criminal attempted theft in district court in Renville County.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court in the Ward County cases, the Kenmare bank surveillance video showed two men wearing Halloween masks enter the bank entryway. They are seen on video prying open the ATM and then carrying away cassettes containing currency.

At 4:52 a.m. on Sept. 6, two men wearing Halloween masks unsuccessfully tried to break into an ATM at the State Fair Center in Minot. Surveillance video showed them using what appeared to be a grinder and an oxygen/acetylene torch to try to break into the Bremer Bank ATM. They were startled by something and ran away, leaving behind a pry tool and a flint striker. The ATM was damaged beyond repair and will need to be replaced.

Authorities also learned that the Renville County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the attempted theft of an ATM machine at Citizens State Bank in Mohall and at Citizens State Bank in Sherwood on Sept. 9. The suspects in those two incidents used the same methods as those of the incidents in Ward County, according to the affidavit in the Ward County cases. The citations in the Renville County cases identify the names of the bank branches in Mohall and Sherwood.

Stein was scheduled to make an initial appearance on the charges in Ward County on Monday in district court in Minot. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Grosz.

Stein and Grosz made initial appearances on the Renville County charges in district court in Renville County last week.

Stein was also accused last October of burglarizing the State Fair Center and stealing or attempting to steal ATMs from the building.

Last February, Judge Todd Cresap sentenced Stein to five years, with all time suspended except time served of 29 days, for multiple burglaries at area businesses. The state had also filed to revoke his probation abnd sentence in another theft case and Stein was ordered in February to serve a flat sentence of 18 months. At the same time, Cresap also ordered Stein to pay $12,279.30 in restitution for the burglaries in the burglary cases. Inmates rarely end up serving their full sentences in the state prison system.