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The Hoquiam Police Department says in a social media post Saturday Afternoon that they made multiple arrests after a call came in about an in progress theft of a catalytic converter, a theft crime that has been on a sharp increase in our area.
At 6:31 am this morning, Hoquiam officers were dispatched to the area of Buchanan Street and Emerson Avenue regarding the theft of a catalytic converter from a motor home that had just occurred. After gathering initial information from the witness and confirming a crime occurred, officers in the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area were on the lookout for a red Chevrolet Tahoe type vehicle. The witness was also able to provide a description of at least three suspects.
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About 9 minutes later, the keen eye of an Aberdeen officer spotted a vehicle and associated suspects matching the description from Hoquiam. As the officer had reasonable suspicion this vehicle and these suspects had committed a crime, the officer contacted the subjects and saw they had filthy hands consistent with recently working on a vehicle.
The witness was transported to the scene of the stop and positively identified the vehicle as the vehicle the suspects left the scene in.
In plain view inside the vehicle, officers were able to see one catalytic converter partially wrapped up in clothing. There also appears to be additional converters beneath other items, however officers will be applying for a search warrant in order to conduct a thorough search.
As probable cause for felony Theft and Possession of Stolen Property was established, officers arrested the 4 subjects inside the vehicle pending further investigation. All the subjects reside outside of Grays Harbor County.
During the writing of this releasae, another victim from Buchanan Street is reporting a catalytic converter theft from his vehicle.
Catalytic converter thefts are epidemic in our region. Four weeks ago, the Hoquiam and Aberdeen Police Departments conducted an investigation that led to the arrest of an Aberdeen man and woman for multiple converter thefts, resulting in the loss of thousands of dollars. The repair and replacement of one catalytic converter can exceed $7000.00.
This investigation is ongoing at this time. Anyone with additional leads or information is encouraged to contact the dispatch center's non-emergency line at 360-533-8765