ATM, bottles of liquor stolen from Spokane Valley VFW before Thanksgiving feast

Hours before Spokane Valley Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1435 provided a Thanksgiving feast for veterans Thursday, quartermaster Darren Hughes received an unusual phone call.

“Our bartender, who came in that morning, called and asked me if we’d given our ATM machine back to its company, because it was gone,” Hughes said. “I said, ‘Nope, stay right there.’ ”

Hughes rushed to the VFW on South David Street and saw a damaged gate and entryway. The ATM was gone, along with a dozen new bottles of liquor.

After checking the post’s surveillance camera, Hughes said a man in his late 50s or early 60s could be seen taking items and putting them in a truck with a trailer around 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The man apparently came back around 6 a.m. for more, Hughes said.

“He took the ATM and one bottle on the first trip,” Hughes said. “Then he came back and took more bottles on the second trip. He was probably inside the place for about 30 minutes or so.”

Hughes, who reported the incident to authorities, said the man in the video had a white mustache and goatee and wore glasses, a hooded sweatshirt and a lime-colored beanie.

Hughes said he didn’t know how much money was in the ATM when it was stolen, but believes the person scouted the post before burglarizing it.

“In the video he goes right for the the ATM,” Hughes said. “And this was on a day we were feeding the veterans on Thanksgiving. For him to steal from us, he’s stealing from … every veteran.

“I hope the police find him before one of our members does,” he added.

Police said they are investigating.