Thanks to a tip from a witness and quick work by Fourth Precinct officers, arrests were made for an attempted catalytic converter theft last week.
At approximately 4 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30, officers were called to a parking lot in the 3800 block of West Broad Street for a report of individuals underneath a vehicle. Sounds of a saw cutting metal was also reported.
Officers arrived and observed a pickup truck attempting to leave the parking lot. Officers stopped the truck and the two males in the vehicle were detained as the officers investigated. A nearby witness directed officers to the area in the parking lot where the suspects had been seen crawling under a vehicle. A partially detached catalytic converter was found on the vehicle. During the investigation officers also observed a handheld motorized saw tool in the cab of the suspect vehicle and arrested both individuals.
Charles Hayes, 44, of Richmond and Christopher Seay, 43, of Chesterfield have both been charged with the felony offense of tampering with a catalytic converter. Hayes has also been charged with felony possession of burglary tools. Their booking photos are attached.
“Thefts of catalytic converters have been a problem across the region,” said Fourth Precinct Acting Captain Adrienne Gardner. “Thanks to this witness and quick response by officers this theft was prevented and arrests were made. One can assist in preventing theft of your catalytic converter by making an appointment at a local Midas of Richmond shop and they will spray paint your converter for FREE to reduce the likelihood it can be re-sold if stolen to deter the thefts.”
Anyone
with further information about these individuals is asked to call Property
Crimes Lieutenant B. Prendergast at (804) 646-4195. Citizens may also
contact Crimes Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers
app for smartphones also may be used. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are
anonymous.
