Man, woman charged with theft of car parts

HOT SPRINGS — A Carlisle man and a North Little Rock woman were arrested Thursday in connection with the removal of the catalytic converter from a Hot Springs woman’s car last year.

Justin Wade Montgomery, 27, of Carlisle and Dixie Amber King, 37, of North Little Rock were both taken into custody shortly before 5:30 p.m. and each charged with first-degree criminal mischief, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Montgomery was also served with a warrant for failure to appear.

According to the probable-cause affidavit, on Dec. 29, around 6 a.m., a 911 caller reported a suspicious vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence in the 200 block of Kingery Lane.

When Garland County sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found a blue 2020 Chevy Sonic parked in the driveway with two people, identified as Montgomery and King, sleeping inside.

They were asked to step out and deputies noticed a glass pipe left on the seat where King had been and found a used syringe where Montgomery had been, according to the affidavit. Both were taken into custody and the vehicle was searched.

Deputies found multiple catalytic converters, reciprocating saws and a floor jack, according to the affidavit.

According to http://www.whatcar.com, a consumer information site, hybrid cars are reportedly targeted by thieves because they have two power sources, an electric motor and a gasoline or diesel engine, so their catalytic converters are used less frequently to process pollutants.

This means the precious metals inside, such as palladium, are less likely to corrode, so they are more valuable and therefore more desirable to thieves.