A tall man apparently led a Durham motel clerk astray with a false report of smoke, then wheeled the motel's ATM into his waiting pickup truck, police said today.

Durham investigators want the public's help in finding a suspect in the March 7 case. The incident took place at 4:53 a.m. and started with a report of smoke on the second floor of to the Homewood Suites on Central Park Drive.

"When the clerk went to check the report out, a male entered the lobby, placed the ATM unit on a dolly and took it outside, where he loaded it on the back of a white pickup truck, possibly similar to a Dodge truck," police said in a news release.

The suspect is described as a tall male in his 30s or 40s with a slender build.

Anyone with information on this theft is asked to call Investigator A.M. Sterling at 560-4415, ext. 233 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.