Two men were arrested March 27th, after a Deputy from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office, on patrol near Willard Road on Highway 36, discovered the pair in the process of removing the catalytic converter from a gold Cadillac, with several freshly cut catalytic converters in their truck.
At about 4:10p.m., according to the report from the LCSO, the Deputy observed a blue Chevrolet pickup parked behind a gold Cadillac sedan and made contact with two male subjects who walked from the front of the pickup and appeared to be manipulating an item.
One of the men stated the Cadillac did not belong to them.
“The Deputy observed several freshly cut catalytic converters located in the rear of the pickup,” explains LCSO Sergeant Bryan Sullivan.
“The Deputy inspected the Cadillac and observed the catalytic converter had been cut and removed from the undercarriage of the vehicle. It was determined that the suspects had used a vehicle jack and a battery powered reciprocating saw to steal the catalytic converter from the vehicle.”
Along with the catalytic converters the deputy also discovered methamphetamine, methamphetamine paraphernalia and heroin paraphernalia on the suspects’ person and inside of their vehicle.
“One of the suspects, identified as Andrew Tidwell, provided the Deputy with false identification. It was determined that Tidwell had an active warrant for his arrest. The other suspect, Jonathan Martin, was determined to be on active Lassen County Probation.”
Both Tidwell and Martin were placed under arrest and booked into the Lassen County Jail. Tidwell’s charges include providing a false ID to law enforcement officer, conspiracy, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Martin was charged with grand theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with a vehicle.
Catalytic converters have economic value as they contain precious metals and can be sold as scrap to a recycler. The catalytic converters contain rhodium, palladium and platinum, which are among the most valuable precious metals.
If anyone is missing a catalytic converter, please contact the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office.
Sergeant Sullivan reminded everyone to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity. The Sheriff’s Office also thanked California Fish and Wildlife for their assistance.