Photo: Evidence seized during search warrants | Wikipedia.com
Written By: Robert L. McCullough
October 15, 2022 – Santa Barbara County, Ca. The ongoing rash of catalytic converter thefts throughout the Tri-Counties area—far more than a mere “nuisance” as the repair costs to a victim are considerable and not optional if one wants to operate the vehicle in the future—appears to continue almost unabated.
The problem of sneak-thieves working in the dead of night as they quickly and forcibly remove the units containing valuable, recyclable precious metals has reached the point that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Raquel Zick regularly admonishes vehicle owner to “park inside a garage or secured yard” and to “educate neighbors to be on the lookout for thieves.”
It may be that last suggestion that led to the October 11 th arrests of 29-year-old Los Angeles resident Francisco Puente and 37-year-old Culver City resident Francisco Javier Trujillo Gaona.
The two men were contacted in a traffic stop by SBSD patrol deputies pursuant to a 3:40 a.m. 911 Emergency call reporting “the theft of a catalytic converter that had just occurred” and that included a detailed description of the vehicle driving away from the scene. Once Puente and Gaona were identified, a search of their vehicle led to the discovery of “six stolen catalytic converters, a car jack, and several electric saws.”
Both men were transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where they were booked on six counts of grand theft, six counts of conspiracy, six counts of vehicle tampering, and possession of burglary tools. They remain in custody with their bail set at $500,000 each.
