A Texas man is facing federal charges in Utah after allegedly attempting to rob an ATM technician. Jawuan Donte Thomas, 22, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on charges of violent crime. The indictment follows an incident on December 17, 2024, where Thomas reportedly tried to steal cash from a bank technician outside a Wells Fargo Bank in Draper, Utah.
Court documents reveal that on the morning of the attempted robbery, a detective from the Riverton Police Department was alerted to two intentionally damaged and jammed ATMs in Riverton and Draper. Surveillance footage helped detectives identify a suspect vehicle at the Wells Fargo location in Draper. As the ATM technician was repairing the machine, two masked individuals exited their vehicle when the safe was opened. Thomas was allegedly armed with a screwdriver during this attempt.
Thomas is charged with one count of bank robbery and will make his initial court appearance on January 9, 2025, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City.
The announcement came from United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. The investigation involves an FBI Task Force Officer from the South Jordan Police Department with assistance from the Riverton City Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is handling prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), aiming to reduce gun violence and other violent crimes through collaboration between law enforcement and communities. The initiative emphasizes fostering trust, supporting community organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
"An indictment is merely an allegation," authorities remind, "and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."