By Roger Lanse

On Dec. 1, 2014, Silver City Police officers were called to the 100 block of West Market Street in reference to damage to a window and entry door of a business. When officers arrived they were told by the business owner that the only thing missing was a Chino Federal Credit Union ATM machine from the west side of the business.

Officers then followed a set of drag marks on the pavement west on Market Street, south on Cooper Street, west on Yankie Street, then north on Lyon Street, west on Market street, north on A Street and west on 7th street where the marks stopped at a residence in the 1100 block of 7th Street. Along the path of the scrape marks officers found CDs and receipt paper rolls, and observed "a large box looking item in the front yard of the residence that was covered partially with a blanket and a red hoodie."

Two individuals, Katherine E. Aleckson, 36, and Arturo P. Cruz, 35, both of Silver City, who were in the residence, were placed in investigative detention and subsequently arrested. A third suspect, Max L. Peru, 35, of Gila, appeared to have escaped out the back door of the residence.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, according to an arrest report, an SCPD officer saw a vehicle at the Family Dollar on Silver Heights Blvd, which fit the description of one belonging to Peru, who was known to the officer to have an active warrant for his arrest for larceny over $20,000 and two counts of conspiracy to commit larceny over $20,000, in reference to the ATM theft. The officer then observed a male who fit the description of Peru get into the white Dodge pickup.

The Grant County Regional Dispatch Authority confirmed the warrant and that Peru was the owner of the vehicle, the report said. The officer then made a traffic stop in the Pizza Hut parking lot and Peru was placed under arrest and booked into the Grant County Detention Center under a $40,000 cash or surety bond. Peru remains in custody as of Monday, Dec. 15.