Security officer helps police capture catalytic converter thief at Evansville car dealership
EVANSVILLE, Ind. Aug 15 2021 Police say an Evansville man was arrested again for trying to steal a catalytic converter.
Officers were called to Kenny Kent Chevrolet around 3 Friday morning for a suspicious person.
Dispatch said they received a call from a security guard at the business. He told them he could hear a saw being used.
He also said he saw a suspect wearing all black on the car dealership’s lot.
When officers got to the dealership, the security guard said the suspect climbed on top of an RV to hide.
According to an affidavit, the suspect then climbed down and took off.
Officers say a red Cadillac SUV was found on the lot with its catalytic converter cut off, which was found laying on the ground next to the vehicle.
Officers found the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Edward Payne, hiding in heavy brush against a fence on the property of Kenny Kent Chevrolet.
They say they also found a duffel bag with a Sawzall inside near Payne.
He was arrested and booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail.
This wasn’t the first time Payne was arrested for trying to steal a catalytic converter off a vehicle.
He was arrested back in 2019 when police say he cut the catalytic converter off a vehicle from a commercial cleaning service.
WFIE
