THOMASVILLE — Practice makes perfect.

“The more they’re doing, the more proficient they’re getting,” a Thomas County Sheriff’s’ Office investigator said about individuals stealing ATMs from convenience stores.

Since June 25, ATM bandits have made off with machines from a dozen stores in Southwest Georgia and nearby Florida counties.

A 2001 Dodge quad-cab truck used in a Thomas County theft — and found in Thomasville Monday — has been returned to its owner.

The vehicle was stolen from a Thomasville used-car business.

Lt. Tim Watkins, sheriff’s office chief investigator, said culprits are stealing trucks from businesses in the communities in which they are taking ATMs.

The Dodge truck found Monday has been processed. Authorities have no suspects. No warrants have been issued.

Thomas County joins Cairo Police Department, Grady County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement agencies in Leon and Wakulla counties in Florida in the investigation.

“The last one happened Thursday night/Friday morning in Woodville in Leon County,” Watkins said.

The thefts are being completed in less than two minutes.

An ATM taken from an Ochlocknee store was found alongside a road near Meigs. ATMs taken in Grady County have been found in Leon County.

Most discarded ATMs have been found alongside roads.

The machines have contained from several hundred dollars to several thousand. A grinder, a power tool that cuts metal, is used to enter the ATMs.

Watkins asks that anyone with a vehicle business who discovers a truck has been stolen should immediately report the theft to law enforcement.