Catalytic converter thieves caught

Xavier Police arrested and charged two suspects on Nov. 21 regarding the recent wave of catalytic converters on campus. The suspects were found guilty of stealing four converters, all of which were recovered from the trunk

of their vehicle, from cars in the A parking lot. Officer Petachi observed the suspects, who used a piece of cardboard to cover the rear license plate of their car, acting suspiciously.

Upon approaching the vehicle the passenger and driver both bailed from the vehicle, but other police units were on hand to capture them. Xavier Police arrested the two individuals and charged them with receipt of stolen property, possession of criminal tools and criminal trespassing. The arrests brought a sense of satisfaction to

Chief of Xavier Police Michael Couch, who was proud of his employees in bringing an end to the recent flurry of vehicle

crime "I think it was great work on the part of our third shift officers and our community oriented policing initiatives," Couch said. Both of the suspects, who hail from the Price Hill area of Cincinnati, had extensive criminal records for similar offenses and were wanted for the theft of similar thefts all across the city. The four stolen converters hold

a retail value of more than $4,000, although the suspects had intended to sell them for scrap, Xavier Police Chief Michael Couch said. "These senseless crimes are attributed to the subjects scrapping the catalytic converters for approximately 75 to 80 dollars in cash," Couch said.

The four cars affected by the thefts included two identical

Honda Elements, a Chevrolet Malibu and a Chevrolet Cavalier. Despite the arrests, Xavier Police asks if anybody witnesses suspicious behavior in any of the campus parking lots to inform them immediately at 513.745.1000.

Catalytic Converters: a device located on the underside of common large automobiles that converts toxic exhaust into non-toxic exhaust.

— Why? —

Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, making them targets for

thieves.

— Where? —

They are most easily stolen from late-model trucks and SUVs, or any vehicle with a high ground clearance and a bolted-on converter.

— Worth? —

Catalytic converters can cost up to $1,000 to replace, and sell for about 10 percent of that

given the right market.