Manuel Beltran, 56, of Clovis told police he was trying to withdraw money from an ATM at a retail store to pay his bills last Wednesday when the machine swallowed his card, the Clovis News Journal reported.

But that was just the beginning of his troubles.

He tried to retrieve his card with a pocket knife, and after the store manager called police to report someone with a weapon trying to break into an ATM, Beltran was arrested and charged with felony attempted breaking and entering, the News Journal reported.

"I put the card in, but it never came back," Beltran, who was released on a $5,000 bond Wednesday night, told the News Journal. "I'd never had a machine do that to me before, so I didn't know what to do. I pulled out the pocket knife and started poking at the hole."

According to a police report, a store clerk saw Beltran "messing" with the machine and advised him to call the toll-free number on the ATM, but Beltran allegedly then became belligerent and told the clerk to get away from his because he was going to get his card and money back, the News Journal said.

"I was mad at the machine, but I didn't threaten anyone," Beltran told the paper.

District Attorney Matt Chandler said his office will review the charges against Beltran, which could carry a penalty of up to 18 months in prison, the News Journal said. 

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