Stolen Vehicle Packed With Converters Recovered In Springfield

A suspected car thief wandered into Airway Auto Parts, Monday afternoon, December 19th, perhaps wanting to make some quick cash, but was spooked and decided to flee the scene on foot, leaving a stolen vehicle parked in the lot. 

An employee of the parts and recycling business, which is located at 3500 West Dickman Road, called 911 to report that a stolen vehicle was sitting in their parking lot. Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on the scene, around 4 PM, and ran the vehicle’s VIN and the car did come back as stolen. A search inside the vehicle revealed stolen catalytic converters, cutting tools, and other stolen property. The cutting tools are the best friend of a converter thief and may have fingerprints and DNA material that can be used to identify the suspect who spends his passing hours crawling underneath targeted vehicles.  

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Sheriff’s investigators contacted the stolen vehicle’s owner, who agreed that it might be a good idea to have the car transported to a secure facility, where the Calhoun Area Multi-Jurisdictional Evidence Team (CAMJET) could comb through the vehicle and gather evidence. One piece of useful evidence that has been obtained is a striking surveillance photo taken by Airway Auto Parts security cameras showing the somewhat disheveled suspect standing at the sales counter before he decided to beat feet. If this face rings a bell, investigators would to hear from you at 269-781-0880 or Silent Observer at 269-781-9700.