Portland police arrest two brothers for stealing ATM

PORTLAND – Burglars carted off an automated teller machine from a coffee shop Thursday, and the owner was just happy they didn’t swipe his expensive espresso machine.

Two brothers were arrested just a few hours after they reportedly got away from police by turning off their headlights and racing through the city.

A police officer’s suspicions were aroused at 3 a.m. Thursday when he saw men in dark clothing in the Udder Place, a funky coffee shop on Brighton Avenue that stands out because of its purple paint.

Police gave chase but lost the vehicle. Officers said they later found the abandoned getaway car on Deerfield Road with the ATM still in it.

Joseph Defazio, 22, a transient, was arrested at a local home at 7 a.m. and charged with burglary, theft, aggravated criminal mischief and eluding a police officer.

Defazio, who has relatives in the Portland area, police said, is wanted on a fugitive from justice warrant from New Jersey for escaping from jail and assaulting a police officer. Defazio was being held at the Cumberland County Jail without the chance for bail because of the fugitive charges.

His brother, James Defazio, 23, was arrested at the Greyhound bus station about the same time. He was charged with burglary and theft. He was held at the jail pending payment of $10,000 cash bail.

The ATM was not bolted down or otherwise connected to the building but easily weighed 200 pounds or more. It probably contained $300 to $400, said Harry Bonish, manager of Udder Place.

“It’s just weird that they made off with [the ATM],” Bonish said. “The espresso machine is probably the most valuable item here. I’m glad they didn’t mess with that.”

The two men apparently broke into the shop through a window and began to dismantle the machine in the store. They then carried the machine out the back and put it in the back seat of their car, according to police.