KC Reporter

A third Texas man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his involvement in bank burglary and theft conspiracies following incidents at ATMs in Ozark and Springfield, Missouri.

Nigel Dwane Luchin, 27, and Leo Smith, 21, both from Houston, Texas, along with Christopher E. Merchant, 24, of Beaumont, Texas, face charges in a six-count indictment returned by the federal grand jury in Springfield. Initially charged separately last year—Luchin on December 19 and Smith on January 23—Merchant has now been added as a defendant in the latest indictment.

The indictment alleges that Luchin, Smith, and Merchant conspired to commit bank burglary and theft between October 3 and November 8 of last year.

According to court documents, Smith stole a Dodge Ram truck from a Springfield parking lot on October 20. He then allegedly used the truck that same day to break open an ATM at Wood & Huston Bank in Springfield.

Smith faces additional charges of bank burglary and theft related to this incident.

On October 29 or 30, Smith is accused of assisting in the theft of a Ford F-250 truck from Nixa. The indictment states that Luchin or Merchant purchased a tow chain around this time. The stolen truck and chain were allegedly used by the trio to break open another ATM at Southern Bank in Ozark on October 30.

In connection with these events at Southern Bank, all three men are jointly charged with one count each of bank burglary and theft.

An affidavit supporting a criminal complaint filed on November 6 details how conspirators used chains and hooks attached to the stolen Ford F-250 to dismantle an ATM door at Southern Bank. They reportedly stole $30,700 before abandoning the truck nearby.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators purportedly shows conspirators arriving at the scene where the Ford F-250 was stolen using two vehicles—a Chrysler Voyager minivan and a Toyota Highlander—which were later traced back to rental agencies in Houston through license plate readers. Both vehicles were recorded traveling together toward Houston later that same day.

Ozark police officers searching the abandoned pickup found Luchin’s Texas identification card on its driver’s seat.

The charges against Luchin, Smith, and Merchant remain accusations; evidence must be presented before a federal trial jury tasked with determining their guilt or innocence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan is prosecuting this case with investigations conducted by the FBI alongside local police departments from Ozark and Springfield.

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