24-year-old man from Dayton was indicted for theft, vandalism and possession of criminal tools after multiple reports of catalytic converters thefts
DAYTON, Ohio – A man from Dayton has been detained and charged in connection with a series of thefts involving catalytic converters that occurred in the surrounding area.
According to a statement made by the Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, the 24-year-old suspect, Murat Shokzodayev, was charged with theft, vandalism, and possession of criminal instruments on Friday, September 9, after various companies reported that catalytic converters had been stolen from their premises.
According to Heck, on August 10, police from the Englewood Police Department responded to the Boone Restoration located on Harco Drive. The company told the officers that a man had been stealing the catalytic converter from a box truck, and they showed them video surveillance of the man stealing the part early that morning.
Officers were able to positively identify Shokzodayev as the person responsible for the crime. Three days later, Shokzodayev was taken into custody by law enforcement in Harrison Township, and his vehicle was seized.
According to the announcement, when officers examined Shokzodayev’s vehicle, they discovered twelve catalytic converters along with three power saws and other items that could have been used to steal the converters.
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Another company, White Allen Chevrolet in Englewood, reported that two further catalytic converters had been stolen from a box truck parked on their property. This company also contacted the police. Officers were able to link the damaged truck to two of the converters that were discovered in Shokzodayev’s vehicle, as stated in the release.
According to Heck, the theft of catalytic converters is a very real problem all across the world.
” Recyclers of scrap metal pay around one hundred dollars for a scrap converter, while the expense to the victim to replace a converter can easily surpass two thousand dollars. It is imperative that state legislators approve legislation that makes it more difficult to sell catalytic converters to companies that recycle metal.
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Shokzodayev was charged with one crime of stealing over $1,000, one count of receiving stolen property over $1,000, one offense of vandalism, and two charges of possession of criminal tools by the Montgomery County Grand Jury. On Thursday, September 22, he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance.
