Dollars on the fly
Around one o’clock this morning one of the several private security trucks leased by South Carolina banks that carry cash to replenish ATM machines around the state was on its way to Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Georgetown when it had a tire blow and the speeding truck rolled three times, the light frame collapsed and the truck ended up on its side. The driver and the technician with the codes to the ATMs were badly bruised and are hospitalized at this time. The authorities will not release the amount of money the truck was carrying. There are, however, 1,347 bank, savings and loan and credit union ATM machines in the three cities (Each pay a proportional share of the costs of servicing their machines.) According to Chamber of Commerce data released last year, each ATM machine holds up to $20,000 when re-filled. Anyway, the point is that the low temperatures in the area at the time were accompanied by high winds and when the truck crashed the money went everywhere. (The money in the truck was stacked and held together only with narrow paper wrappers denoting the denominations and the ATM machine it was intended for.) People have been reported picking up money as far as eighteen miles from the site of the mishap. Continuing high winds are expected and the windologist–trainee on duty at the Charleston weather station said (before being muzzled by her angry supervisors) that the money could be carried on the winds as far south as Beaufort and up to the outer banks in North Carolina. Bank and police officials stress that people must turn the money in (ha, ha), and are subject to federal prosecution under the Bank Robbery statutes enforced by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney if they find it and keep it. A toothpick chewing deputy sheriff, coming off donut break in the area, who spoke on the condition of absolute anonymity, said, “It’s impossible to cover the whole area and the money will never be recovered.” He added, with a chuckle, “Of course, if I find some, I’ll turn it in.”

Just thought you would like to know this. Feel free to pass it on, especially to retired seniors who may have time to cruise about. A good cover story would be, “I was picking up trash along the highway.”

Archie
4/1/2003


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