Victoria Police Arrest 4 in Catalytic Converter Bust

Victoria Police have updated the public several times in the month of June about vehicle burglaries going through the roof in 2021. A 450% increase in vehicle burglaries was the subject of an update earlier in the month which put many residents on high alert and left officers working late at night with their eyes open for suspicious activity.

According to an update from the VPD on Facebook, an arrest made early Monday morning has quickly led to three more arrests, and a group of individuals now face charges for several catalytic converter thefts.

Six Catalytic Converters Found During Traffic Stop

Early Monday morning, police on patrol stumbled across a vehicle traveling through town making several turns without using their turn signal. Think this crook is kicking themselves now? Use the blinker, folks! Anyway, when police approached the vehicle they noticed drug paraphernalia on the floor of the vehicle in plain sight. This prompted a search of the vehicle, during which officers discovered six freshly cut catalytic converters stashed in the car.

4 Crossroads Suspects Arrested

Those arrested as a result of this traffic stop and its discovery include Ruben Recio, Erika Tijernia, Jonathan Burns, and Eric Gomez. All 4 individuals are from Corpus Christi and have been slapped with theft of property charges between $2500 and $30,000. They have also been charged with organized criminal activity.

Victoria Police Want to Hear From You

While details have yet to be released, I wonder how many stolen catalytic converters will turn up after these arrests? Is there a garage somewhere in Corpus Christi holding half the missing converters stolen in Victoria county? As we wait for more information to come out, police want to hear from Victorians who have been victims of converter theft. It's possible they may have discovered one that was stolen from your vehicle earlier this year! Call the VPD Auto Crime task force at 361-485-3762 or email policeautocrimes@victoriatx.gov if you believe a catalytic converter was stolen from your vehicle.

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