Franklin Police Arrest Two and Recover 26 Stolen Catalytic Converters

From Franklin Police Dept.

stolen catalytic converters

Police in Franklin have stopped two catalytic converter thieves in their tracks.

Officers interrupted an in-progress theft last week in the CoolSprings Galleria parking lot. Laquetta Eugene, 44, of Houston, TX, and 32-year-old Chesare Rivers of Memphis were arrested on September 30. Officers spotted Rivers under a car with an electric saw, and moved in. After they did, they discovered 26 catalytic converters in the car Eugene was driving. All of them appear to have been cut off of victims’ vehicles, and detectives are hoping to identify some of those victims.

Cars missing a catalytic converter will have a loud roaring sound, especially when accelerating. Criminals who steal catalytic converters are hoping to cash in on up to $800 on the black market. The high value is due to precious metals like platinum and rhodium that are used to make them.

If your catalytic converter was stolen in the past couple of weeks, Franklin Police want to hear from you. Victims can contact Franklin PD Criminal Investigations at (615) 791-3237.