Multi-million-dollar theft required planning

The truck was recovered at
a flower shop in Salem.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

LIBERTY — Taking more than $7 million from a township business would involve advance planning by those suspected of taking the loot, an FBI agent figures.

Planning would involve how to carry and move the money, or stash it; changing vehicles; and maybe the suspects have changed their appearance.

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

Special Agent Scott Wilson of the FBI Cleveland office said the adults could be traveling with a minor — Dillon’s younger brother. But he said officials really aren’t sure who is traveling with Dillon and Boyd.

Police on Thursday recovered the purple 1999 GMC pickup truck owned by Dillon. Lt. Donald Beeson of the Salem Police Department said the truck was recovered at a flower shop in Salem after a concerned citizen reported it as suspicious.

Wilson said Dillon and Boyd are now traveling in a van.

“What we believe now is that they may be in a 1989 black GMC Safari van with a silver stripe along with running boards and flared fenders, and an unknown Ohio license plate,” Wilson said.

Dillon worked for AT Systems, an armored car company in the township.

Employees there told police 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.

AT Systems is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft.

Anyone looking to collect that reward, according to Wilson, should look for someone toting around some really heavy suitcases or large duffel bags.

He said the couple would have had to figure a way to carry the stolen loot.

“Certainly, this is a lot of money, some cash and some checks. It would take some fairly large bags to carry this type of money around, at least a couple of very large suitcases,” he said.

Wilson said there is also a possibility that the couple could stash the money and spend small denominations a little at a time, but “we just don’t know yet.”

The money, he said, was in a variety of different denominations.

Witnesses have said the couple gave away a car shortly before the theft and bought a new cover for the bed of the pickup truck found in Salem — possibly to cover the stolen cash.

According to Wilson, individuals on the run in similar circumstances often try to mask their appearance by cutting their hair, growing facial hair, wearing wigs or some other type of disguise.

He said those in the public keeping watch should first look for the general attributes such as height, weight and build, then take a closer look.

Wilson said the AT Systems theft is one of the larger theft cases he has seen in the area, but that means little when compared to the resources at the disposal of the FBI. The agency is still looking in Ohio, but is now looking outside of the state as well.

“We have seen large-scale armored car robberies. This is more of a theft and is one of the larger ones we have seen, but we have had large-scale theft cases,” he said.

“I wish I could tell you a specific location as to where they might be, but the good thing about the FBI is that we have 56 field offices in the USA and offices all over the world. This makes the world a much smaller place and harder for these people to travel all over the world.”

A quote from a MySpace page believed to be that of Dillon, where he claims Wiccan as his religion, sums up his attitude:

“I am not for this world; I enjoy every moment for what it is and not what it could be. I find great amusement in consequences for my actions. I don’t care what you think about it. Understanding it is not as important as enjoying it. ... I wake up every morning with a smile, till I realize that I have to go to work. I am not you, I could never be. I am not for this world, this world is for me.”

jgoodwin@vindy.com