Watch CBS News

2 Accused Of Stealing More Than 100 Catalytic Converters

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Two people suspected of stealing more than 100 catalytic converters along the Front Range have been taken into custody.

According to Fort Collins Police Services, Joshua Medley, 28; and Diedre Crawford, 26; are accused of stealing catalytic converters between September and December 2016.

Joshua Medley, 28; and Diedre Crawford
Joshua Medley and Diedre Crawford (credit: Fort Collins Police Services)

"Catalytic converters are components in a vehicle's exhaust system that help reduce carbon emissions. Thieves often target these components in order to harvest various metals for scrap resale," police said in a statement.

According to police, a citizen in Aurora caught Medley in the act of cutting a catalytic converter of a vehicle and chased him away.

catalytic converters
A catalytic converter (credit: CBS) CBS
catalytic converters
Catalytic converters (credit: CBS)

"In late December … officers located two suspect vehicles at a residence in Broomfield and subsequently identified Medley and Crawford as the primary suspects in this crime series," police said.

"In a lot of cases it was areas where cars would be sitting for a little bit of time, there was less turnover," Kate Kimble with Fort Collins Police Services told CBS4.

catalytic-converter-thefts-100pkg-transfer

Search warrants were served at the couple's home and more evidence was found linking the two to the thefts.

"It was really through the work of the crime analysts connecting with other crime analysts to figure out when these things were occurring and to launch that joint investigation," Kimble said. "Without that collaborative partnership it's unlikely that we would have been able to stop this as quickly as we did."

Medley and Crawford were arrested on January 6.

Police in Fort Collins are working with other jurisdictions in search of more victims.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.