At 10:40 a.m. on January 16, 2021, we were called in relation to a Theft in progress on Montague Avenue in Greater Sudbury. Information provided was that a man wearing dark clothing could be seen laying under a parked truck attempting to cut out the catalytic converter.

Officers arrived on scene minutes later and went down the laneway where the man had been seen. The Officers found two catalytic converters in a snowbank; however, the person responsible for removing them was no longer there.

The Officers continued to follow the path that they believed the man took when he was fleeing the scene and they located a vehicle with two people inside. The vehicle was being driven very slowly down Montague Avenue in what appeared to be an attempt to locate the two catalytic converters that had been left behind. The Officers were able to identify the individual in the passenger seat as a man previously arrested for Theft of a catalytic converter.

The Officers located the vehicle in the parking lot of an establishment on Kathleen Street. The passenger of the vehicle matched the original description provided and when he exited the vehicle he was placed under arrest. As a result of the arrest, Officers searched the vehicle and located multiple tools commonly used to remove catalytic converters.

38 year old Kevin Simard was charged with Theft Under $5,000, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000, Mischief to Property x2, Possession of Break-in Instruments and Failure to Comply with Release Order.

While at Police headquarters, he was charged in relation to additional incidents for Thefts of catalytic converters. He attended Weekend and Statutory Holiday (W.A.S.H.) Court on January 17, 2021 to answer to the charges.

From June 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, we received 52 reports of Thefts of catalytic converters. This is a substantial increase in comparison to the 12 reports of Thefts of catalytic converters reported in the same time period in 2019.

Crime Prevention is a Shared Commitment and as these incidents are happening more frequently we are urging business owners to ensure that safety measures are in place to help safeguard businesses including additional lighting, security systems, video surveillance equipment and if possible physical presence or patrols after hours.

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