Trio arrested for Lodi catalytic converter thefts
Three Stockton residents were arrested in Lodi this weekend after residents saw them steal a catalytic converter.
At about 4:52 a.m. Sunday, Lodi Police Department officers responded to the 200 block of Arcadia Place on the report of two males stealing the equipment from a vehicle.
Upon arrival, officers learned the thieves had left behind a vehicle, which was ultimately towed, police said.
At about 6:15 a.m., officers were called to the area of Stockton and Mullens streets, as the resident who reported the theft found the alleged thieves hiding in some bushes, police said.
Officers arrested 35-year-old Jesus Garcia Altamarino and 24-year-old Edwin Lopez, both of Stockton, on suspicion of grand theft and conspiracy. Garcia-Altamarino was also found to have several warrants for his arrest, police said.
Detectives assigned to the investigation served a search warrant at a motel on the 2500 block of Piccoli Road in Stockton, where it was determined Garcia-Altamarino and Lopez were staying.
During the search, detectives arrested 31year-old Crystal Ortega on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy and drug charges, police said.
Lopez was being held at San Joaquin County Jail on $125,000 bail, and is scheduled to appear in Lodi Superior Court on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m.
Garcia-Altamarino was being held without bail and was also scheduled to appear in Lodi Superior Court at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Ortega had been released from custody by Monday morning.
The trio's arrest comes as police departments across the country warn residents of increased catalytic converter thefts.
According to shift summaries provided to the News-Sentinel, Lodi police have received at least 30 reports of stolen catalytic converters since Dec. 17.
Most of the vehicles targeted have been
Hondas and Toyotas, according to shift summaries.
One Lodi resident reported last month that the catalytic converter from her Toyota Prius had been stolen four times over the last 18 months.
Lodi police said it is unknown why there has been a rise in converter thefts, but said the materials from which they are made can be quite valuable.
Car and Driver, one of the leading automobile enthusiast magazines in the nation, reported recently that the platinum in catalytic converters was worth $1,000 an ounce in December.
However, two of the other rare earth metals found in catalytic converters are worth more per ounce than gold, according to the magazine.
Palladium prices are currently more than $2,300 per ounce, while the price of Rhodium has spiked to more than $16,000, Car and Driver said.
Lodi police said it is following up on several other reported thefts, and encourages residents to take as many precautions as they can to secure their vehicles from thieves, including parking in a locked garage.
If you don't have an available garage, try to park in a well-lit area. You might consider a motion sensor light that covers the area where you park your car.
You can engrave the vehicle identification number or license plate number on the catalytic converter, which will help alert a scrap dealer that it is stolen and possibly dissuade a would-be thief.
There are also protective plates you can install in order to make it more difficult for your catalytic converter to be stolen, police said.