OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Recent success in catalytic converter theft investigations may have led to a dip in how often those thefts have happened over the last three months, Omaha Police told 3 News Now on Monday.
Union Soe, 25, was arrested and charged in Douglas County with theft greater than $5,000 and criminal conspiracy. Charging documents accuse Soe of stealing catalytic converters in seven instances.
"This group of suspects is involved in at least 15 catalytic converter thefts in Omaha and 10 in Lincoln," said Omaha Police Lt. Kyle Steffen.
He suspects they've stolen more than that.
Steffen believes, like for other property crimes, "a small group of individuals are responsible for a lot of the crime that is occurring."
That means a little success can have a big impact. He said a few investigative steps are needed before police will work with prosecutors to bring charges on other suspects.
Catalytic converter thefts spiked in 2020. It happened around 50 times in 2019, Steffen said. In 2022, OPD received 1,368 reports.
For Chase Schelhaas, it's happened twice since the spike: In October 2020 and October 2022 on two different vehicles. Most recently, it was stolen from a truck belonging to the company he owns, Sensible Snacks, a local vending machine company.
Schelhaas called it an "unexpected expense" for his small business, and it left him without the truck for three weeks. It caused damage in addition to the lost converter, he said.
His 2022 case was captured on video, Schelhaas said, and he is among the individuals Soe is accused of stealing from.
Steffen said the thefts are often being conducted by groups.
"We are looking at multiple groups of people that are working together," he said.
Steffen said the city ordinance put in place last year has helped. It's allowed detectives to identify high-volume sellers of catalytic converters, he said. He also supports a proposal in the Nebraska Legislature on the topic.
OPD is asking for the public's help cracking down on catalytic converter theft. They request individuals with information on instances including but not limited to the following call Crime Stoppers at (402) 444-STOP:
- Groups of people working in concert to steal catalytic converters
- Parties taking catalytic converters across state lines
- Parties sending catalytic converters through the mail
- Scrapyards or other businesses buying stolen catalytic converters
Learn more: Omaha shop owner says he keeps profits on catalytic converter thefts down
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