Three people arrested in Hollister on suspicion of stealing catalytic converters

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION) Three Bakersfield residents have been arrested in Hollister on suspicion of stealing catalytic converters from vehicles.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, police were called to the 2000 block of Highland Drive when a community member saw a man getting into a silver Chevy Tahoe and speeding away. The witness suspected that the man had been trying to steal a catalytic converter from a truck nearby. Officers later confirmed that a catalytic converter was partially removed from a vehicle on Highland Drive.

As one of the officers was heading to the scene, they saw a Tahoe matching the description heading north on Pinnacles National Park Highway and conducted a traffic stop on Highway 25 near San Felipe Road.

Inside the vehicle were two men and a woman, according to police, and the officer said their behavior and story about why they were in Hollister made them more suspicious. The officer said there were cutting tools visible in the vehicle and the woman appeared to be under the influence.

K-9 Lupo and his handler were called in to assist, and Lupo let officers know there may be drugs in the vehicle. During a search, officers said they found meth in the center console and power tools, reciprocating saws and two recently removed catalytic converters in the back seat.

The passenger in the back seat, identified as 29-year-old Rafael Lazaro, is believed to be the person who stole the catalytic converters earlier in the day and the one seen trying to steal another on Highland Drive. Police did not find the vehicles the catalytic converters belong to.

Lazaro was arrested and booked into the San Benito County Jail on vehicle tampering, attempted theft, possession of burglary tools and conspiracy charges. The person police said was driving, identified as 37-year-old Fernando Esparza, was arrested and booked into the San Benito County Jail on vehicle tampering, attempted theft, possession of burglary tools, possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy charges. He also had a warrant for his arrest out of Bakersfield. The woman in the vehicle, identified as 38-year-old Janet Silva, was arrested and booked for vehicle tampering, conspiracy and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Police said Esparza did not have a driver's license and believed the Tahoe might be stolen, so they towed and stored it. Later in the day, the vehicle was reported stolen in Kern County.

Catalytic converters are targets for theft because they include valuable metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium. Police said a catalytic converter can be sold to a metal recycler for between $20 and $250, and recyclers can remove the valuable metals and resell it for thousands of dollars.

There have been multiple reports of catalytic converter thefts in the Bay Area, Santa Cruz County and Pacific Grove recently.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 831-636-4330. To remain anonymous, call 800-87-CRIME.