SAN ANTONIO – Witten Pest Control is out tens of thousands of dollars after its company truck was stolen and used to break into an ATM on the West Side Tuesday morning, marking the second time criminals took one of its vehicles within a month.
Patti Witten, owner of the company, said she was in “complete shock, ‘Oh my gosh, this is not happening again.”
As San Antonio police officers taped off a crime scene Tuesday morning on Marbach and Hunt lane, Witten was informed her business’ truck was used to commit a crime.
SAPD said witnesses saw the two men involved in the crime use a chain attached to the stolen pickup truck and yank the front off the ATM. Officers said the men were able to get into the cash box and got a good amount of money.
SAPD said they found the stolen truck abandoned nearby on Garden Brook Street. They believe the men were followed by a second car, and then they left the area in the other vehicle. The suspects have not been found.
It’s the second time Witten’s company truck has been stolen in weeks. Last month, someone took the vehicle, and Witten got it back but without a catalytic converter.
“It’s way bigger and way more than just having the vehicle stolen,” she said.
Witten said her business has four technicians and four trucks, and each technician has about 10 appointments daily.
“We lost 10 yesterday, lost 10 today. We are going to lose 10 tomorrow, and we will lose as many as we need to until we are able to evaluate the vehicle,” said Witten.
Due to the number of cancellations, rescheduling, and damage caused by both thefts, her company has lost nearly $15,000.
“The hardest side of missing that business is those customers, you know, new calls. So when we tell them it’s going to be five, seven, 10, or even 15 days before we can get there, and so that’s a huge loss to us in new customers,” Witten said.
She said this won’t cause her to close her business, but it will set her back nearly seven months.
Witten had this message for those responsible.
“Stop, this is enough. Please consider what you’re doing. Please consider the fallout of other human beings,” said Witten.