News

Sep 16, 2023

Police catch 2 in Minnesota with 22 stolen catlaytic converters

Two people have been arrested across state lines after their connections to

Two people have been arrested across state lines after their connections to several catalytic converter thefts in Sioux Falls, according to the Sioux Falls Police Department.

A trooper in Jackson County, Minnesota, tried to stop a vehicle at about 6:30 a.m. March 2 when a police chase unfolded.

During the chase, the vehicle either crashed or became stuck, and that's when troopers found the two people with 22 catalytic converters inside, department spokesperson Sam Clemens said Monday morning during a daily police briefing with media.

Detectives reached out to the Sioux Falls department and other law enforcement agencies in the area to see if there were any connections, Clemens said. That's when officers connected the two people to an incident involving a Vern Eide car lot in the 4500 block of East Arrowhead Parkway at 3:30 a.m., Clemens said.

The two allegedly stole several converters from vehicles in the lot, Clemens said.

More:Your catalytic converter was stolen. What happens to it afterward?

"Vern Eide has surveillance video, which was a key component in placing these two at that scene," he said.

He said the department is not sure at this time how many other potential locations were hit. Officers are asking anyone who may have had a catalytic converter theft to contact the department, especially if they have surveillance video of the incident.

At least 12 of the 22 were stolen from Sioux Falls, Clemens said. Officers are trying to verify where the others came from, he said.

The two arrested are in custody in Jackson County, Minnesota, with each facing warrants locally for one count of intentional damage to property and one count of grand theft, Clemens said. The warrants carry a $25,000 bond, he said.

Both men are in their 20s and from Chicago, Illinois, Clemens said.