Two individuals from Illinois have been apprehended for stealing ATMs and cash boxes from gaming establishments, as law enforcement agencies statewide deal with a surge in burglaries targeting video gambling machines.
Reese A. Heckman, 34, of Decatur, and Travis R. Ziemer, 28, of Macon, have been accused of a series of break-ins at gaming parlors, bars, and other establishments in Central Illinois as per court records reported by the Herald & Review.
The alleged tactics used by the duo mirror those utilized by various criminal groups in a string of burglaries that have focused on gaming venues this year, particularly in the Chicago suburbs.
Authorities claim that Heckman and Ziemer typically accessed businesses through the roof, disabled power, and utilized sledgehammers and crowbars to target or remove ATMs.
Their alleged targets included Nellie’s Tavern in Decatur, where an ATM was stolen on July 17, and Debbie’s Gaming, also in Decatur, where the thieves were unsuccessful in removing an ATM from the floor on July 30.
Phones Lead Police to Burglary
Investigators revealed that cell phone data ultimately led them to the suspects.
Early Monday (September 14), the police traced phones associated with the individuals to BB’s B.F.E. Bar & Grill in Latham, approximately 25 miles northwest of Decatur.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office inspected the business and found it had been burglarized. The power had been cut, an ATM had been broken open, and multiple gaming machines had been damaged and emptied of cash, according to the affidavits.
Heckman and Ziemer were taken into custody later that morning.
Subsequent searches uncovered burglary tools, money boxes from gaming machines, a stolen Hyundai that had allegedly been repainted from red to black, and other stolen vehicles and equipment, police disclosed.
Investigators mentioned that cell phone records indicated the duo had traveled extensively throughout Central and Southern Illinois and are exploring potential connections to additional burglaries.
Illinois Gaming Businesses Under Siege
The arrests come amidst a significant increase in burglaries targeting Illinois’ extensive network of video gaming establishments.
Data from the Illinois Gaming Board acquired earlier this year by the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that 502 burglaries had been reported by June 22 — surpassing the total of 473 recorded in all of 2025.
During the initial part of 2026, more than $1.5 million had been stolen, with businesses in over 100 municipalities being targeted, according to the data.
And the incidents have not stopped.
Authorities stated earlier this month that they suspect a single crew was responsible for separate robberies of gaming machines in Wheeling, New Lenox, and Peotone. Masked perpetrators armed with sledgehammers struck the businesses within a 24-hour period.
New Lenox alone had reported at least 14 gaming-related smash-and-grab burglaries by early September.