Catalytic converter theft from last year leads to two arrests

Dixie Amber King - Submitted photo
Dixie Amber King - Submitted photo

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.

Both were being held on a $3,500 bond and were set to appear Friday in Garland County District Court.

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.

Both were taken into custody and the vehicle was searched. Deputies allegedly found multiple catalytic converters, reciprocating saws and a floor jack.

King was questioned and reportedly stated she and Montgomery had cut the converters off vehicles earlier in the night. She was not sure where the vehicles in question were parked, but four of them were from the Hot Springs area.

The Sonic was seized and a formal search warrant was executed later that same day. Also that same day, a local woman reported the theft of the catalytic converter from her work vehicle, a 2020 Toyota Prius, owned by the Department of Human Services. The car was taken to the Gregg Orr Toyota dealership for repairs to be made.

Later that day, sheriff's investigators took one of the stolen converters from the Sonic to the dealership and were able to match the converter to the Prius by placing it into the vehicle and comparing the cut marks, size and type.

The total damage to the vehicle from removing the converter was estimated at $5,048. After further investigation, warrants for King and Montgomery were issued on Tuesday.

According to http://www.whatcar.com, a consumer information site, hybrid cars, such as the Prius, are reportedly targeted by thieves because they have two power sources, an electric motor and a petrol 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.

Justin Wade Montgomery - Submitted photo
Justin Wade Montgomery - Submitted photo

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