Kane Co. Men Charged With Removing Catalytic Converters From Vehicles
July 19, 2023 9:19PM CDT
An NYPD officer places a sticker with a unique serial number onto a catalytic converter at a crime prevention event in the Staten Island borough of New York City on Friday, April 14, 2023. After applying the sticker, the officer uses a cotton swab dipped in acid to etch the number permanently on the car part. The NYPD registers the serial number of the vehicle owner in a national database. If police find someone with the catalytic converter, who is not the registered owner, they could charge that person with criminal possession of stolen property. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Two Kane County men are accused of removing catalytic converters from more than 35 vehicles across northern Illinois. State Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office charged Pedro Villegas-Mendoza and Octavio Goytia with theft and aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Raoul claims that from August 2021 through March 2022, the suspects worked together to steal catalytic converters from vehicles in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, DeKalb, Lake, McHenry, and Winnebago counties. Bond for both men was set at 350-thousand dollars.
