Sudbury police nab suspected catalytic converter thief

Sudbury mechanic holds catalytic converter. Nov. 14/18 (CTV Northern Ontario)

Sudbury — Sudbury police say they arrested a man in the Donovan for allegedly stealing catalytic converters after officers were called to theft in progress.

Officers were called to Montague Avenue at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday after reports of a man wearing dark clothing was allegedly seen laying under a parked truck attempting to cut out the catalytic converter.

Police said there has been a rise in thefts related to this exhaust emission control device from vehicles around the city. Between June 1 and December 31, Sudbury police said there were 52 reported thefts of this car part, compared to just 12 in the same period in 2019.

When officers arrived, the man had fled the scene, and when they went down a laneway he was seen in, they found two catalytic converters in a snowbank.

As the officers continued down the lane, they found a vehicle with two people inside driving slowly down Montague Avenue in what police describe as an attempt to find the discarded car parts.

Police said the passenger of the vehicle was identified by officers as someone who had been previously arrested for the same crime and also fit the description of the emergency call. The vehicle was stopped in the parking lot of an establishment on Kathleen Street.

During the arrest, officers found several tools known to be used to remove catalytic converters during a search of the vehicle.

As a result, a 38-year-old man has been charged with theft under $5,000, having property obtained by crime, two counts of mischief, having break-in tools and not complying with his release order.

He has also been charged with additional catalytic converter thefts.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.