GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A 36-year-old Houston man, who is thought to be a part of the Hook and Chain Gang, was arrested in Green Bay after attempting to rob an ATM on Tuesday morning.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office describes the Hook and Chain Gang as individuals who hit ATMs nationwide, something that’s becoming more common every day. Local Five’s Samantha Petters spoke with authorities to learn more about these types of crimes.

“The important distinction here is when these crimes are committed against an ATM, it’s not classified as a robbery because it’s not a crime against a person, so it’s not generally treated as seriously as opposed to a bank robbery where that’s a crime against an individual or a group of individuals,” said Sergeant Marc Shield with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.

Sergeant Shield also told Local Five that this type of crime originated in Houston, Texas so that is where the majority of these individuals are from. Crews like this that travel across the country will generally hit multiple ATMs on their way.

These cases require significant follow-up to identify the individuals involved,” Sergeant Shield continued. “Generally speaking, when individuals commit these types of offenses, they’ll wear gloves and masks to hide their identity but they often leave DNA behind so we use this to our advantage and try to capitalize on that DNA evidence to help identify the culprits.”

There is no known threat to the community, but if you have information or video evidence related to this investigation, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office asks that you share it with them. You can find their contact information on their website.