Serial burglar jailed for role in Hook ATM heist
MEDIA COURTHOUSE » A New York man involved in the theft of $33,000 from an ATM in Marcus Hook was sentenced to two to five years in a state prison Friday after pleading guilty to burglary and conspiracy charges.
Ramdeo Balliram, 36, of Woodhaven, N.Y., was also ordered to pay $2,300 in restitution to the ATM owner and $500 to the Marcus Hook News-Tobacco store for damage done to a door under the negotiated plea offered by Assistant District Attorney Chris DiRosato and defense attorney Steve Jarmon.
DiRosato told Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kevin F. Kelly that two accomplices have also been identified in the Jan. 27 burglary. Georgina Paz, 30, of Dover, N.J., has also been charged with conspiracy, burglary and criminal trespass, according to online court records. Paz, represented by attorney Michael Kotik, is scheduled for a court date before Kelly today. Another suspect, identified in court Monday as Joshua Perez, has not been charged, DiRosato said.
Balliram, who has prior burglary convictions in New York and New Jersey, was arrested with the contents of the ATM and tools used to saw it open about 25 yards from the store. He claimed to have served as a lookout for the burglary, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Balliram allegedly told officers he had been approached by two men who offered him money and marijuana in exchange for keeping watch as they broke into the store at 9 E. 10th St. Balliram said he watched the two men open the door and enter the store, then saw a marked police car pull up at the intersection of 10th and Market streets.
Balliram said he hid at the corner of McClure Lane and 10th Street, where he saw a store employee opening the door, but had no way of alerting the other two men inside, according to the affidavit.
Balliram said one of the men fled past him and threw him the backpack containing the cash and tools as he hid behind a white pickup truck. The affidavit indicates Balliram, wearing a black hat, black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, black pants, gloves and the backpack, “immediately put his hands in the air” when Patrolman James Dalrymple approached him. He was sweating and out of breath, according to the affidavit.
The store employee told officers he arrived about 4:50 a.m. to open up and noticed the alarm system keypad was not functional. He looked up and saw two men in the rear of the store, then ran outside and flagged down Dalrymple, was in the patrol car at 10th and Market streets.
The employee said one of the men inside was wearing a black hoodie and black backpack similar to those found on Balliram when Dalrymple found him in the 900 block of McClure.
Dalrymple felt what appeared to be a crowbar inside the backpack. Upon opening the bag, he discovered several additional tools, including a 12-inch angle grinder, as well as a surveillance system from the store and a knotted trash bag containing $33,530.
Similar trash bags containing cigarettes and cigars were found abandoned in the back of the store, along with the ATM, which had been dragged from the front of the store. Authorities estimate the burglars entered the store sometime after 2:30 a.m., the last time an officer had performed a sweep of the area, and were working on the ATM for at least two hours before they were discovered. A large rectangular hole had been cut into the machine, according to the affidavit.
In addition to prison time, Balliram was ordered to serve three years of consecutive probation. He was given credit for time served back to Jan. 27, but is not eligible for early release.