Police bust catalytic converter thief

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An alleged thief did himself no favors recently, calling attention to himself when police noticed he was driving around with his license plate upside down on his vehicle.

The suspect, Patrich L. Johnson, 42, is charged with theft for his alleged role in a rash of catalytic converter thefts. The auto parts are favored by thieves because of the high resale value of the elements used in the making of the emissions parts and are cut off of by thieves, damaging the vehicles.

Tullahoma police began hunting for Johnson’s vehicle after it was caught on surveillance video during a converter theft off of Davidson Street. Police came across the suspect vehicle at a liquor store in town and lawmen approached.

“I noticed the license plate was attached upside down,” an officer revealed, noting one of the passengers in the vehicle could be seen holding an open beer inside.

Johnson was walked back to the patrol car and read his rights before police began asking him what he knew about the catalytic converter thefts.

“He admitted to being involved in the theft of multiple catalytic converters,” the officer noted, adding he gave a name of a partner in crime, the name of whom was not included in the police report. “He stated that he was driving around to different locations where they would steal catalytic converters.”

He specifically confessed to one place in particular where they allegedly went behind Jiffy Burger in Manchester and stole a converter from a yellow truck.

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