Free Republic

Chicago police arrested two men and recovered over 200 catalytic converters from a building on the city’s West Side on Friday. More details about the allegations against the men will be released when they appear in bond court on Saturday afternoon. Marzel Woodard and Vincent Parks, both 36, are charged with aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Woodard is also charged with organized aggravated vehicle theft conspiracy, police said. Possessing a stolen critical piece of an automobile, such as a catalytic converter, is equivalent to having the entire vehicle under Illinois law. The arrests and recovery, made in the...

An Arizona man was facing multiple theft charges last week after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a critical role in reducing vehicle emissions. The discovery followed a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. “We were very surprised at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said in a police video taken Thursday as officers were pulling...