2 people sought in $6M Liberty heist

Unofficial accounts suggest that more than $6 million in cash was taken.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

LIBERTY — Police are tracking the whereabouts of two people believed to be involved in a theft at a township business, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in cash.

Police Chief Anthony Slifka said police are looking for Roger Lee Dillon, 22, and his girlfriend Nicole Boyd, 25, both of Lowell Avenue in Youngstown.

Officials said everything officers have discovered suggest the adults are traveling together with a minor, Dillon’s younger brother.

“We have no doubt about this. [Dillon] hasn’t shown up for work. We have his picture ... his girlfriend’s picture, all persons of interest we want to talk to. His brother hasn’t been to school, either, so you put the puzzle together,” Slifka said. “We are not sure where they went, but they just are not here.”

Slifka said the younger brother is a student at Chaney High School in Youngstown.

Two employees at AT Systems on Tibbetts-Wick Road told police they locked up the business before leaving for a money transport to Cleveland. When they returned, the business was still secure but missing a lot of cash.

Dillon worked for AT Systems, an armored-car company.

The employees said someone had disabled the alarm system, taken surveillance tapes, then opened two large safes using codes known only to employees. The safes were cleaned out of cash and checks.

Unofficial accounts suggest that more than $6 million in cash was taken from the business along with a large number of checks.

According to police, the thief locked up the business and reset the alarms before leaving the building.

Dillon and Boyd were named Wednesday as persons of interest in the theft.

Dillon and Boyd had been renting the home on Lowell Avenue from Kathleen Bowman and her husband since April.

Bowman described Dillon as a nice, normal and helpful type of person who would carry groceries into her home or help her get around if needed.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed ... I am a little flabbergasted,” she said. “It’s that classic nice guy in the neighborhood and nobody had a clue. I feel stupid saying it, but it’s true.”

According to Bowman, Dillon and Boyd did a few curious things in the days leading up to the theft.

She said the couple gave away a car, then bought a new bed cover for the purple 1999 GMC pickup truck they were driving. She said the neighborhood talk is that the money was hidden in the bed of that truck under the bed cover.

Police believe the wanted individuals may still be driving the truck.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case but not releasing any details.

jgoodwin@vindy.com