Man charged for stealing converters
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — A Mercer County man is accused of stealing 105 catalytic converters and four aluminum wheels from a Route 8 salvage yard in May.
The suspect, Jacob A. Crawford, 29, of Transfer, returned to the scene of the crime a month later, authorities said, and allegedly stole a large amount of brass.
But Crawford wasn’t done.
The week after swiping the brass, according to court documents, he made off with a dozen more aluminum wheels, additional scrap metal and other items.
In all, investigators said, the value of the loot he took from Kennedy Diversified in Slippery Rock Township exceeded $19,000.
District Judge William O’Donnell on Wednesday arraigned Crawford on a list of charges that included three felony counts each of theft and receiving stolen property.
The arraignment was done by video between O’Donnell’s office in Slippery Rock and the Mercer County Jail, where the defendant has been held since June 29 on a probation violation.
He remains jailed there for the probation violation and $25,000 bail for the Butler County charges.
A surveillance camera at Kennedy Diversified, documents said, helped police identify Crawford as the suspect in the recent series of thefts that targeted the auto and truck salvage business.
The first theft, police believe, happened between May 8 and 18 when all the converters — collectively worth well more than $10,000 — were taken.
Catalytic converters are anti-pollution devices. Thieves target the part, which is found in front of the muffler, because it contains valuable metals, such as platinum.
On June 16, brass worth an estimated $1,750 was stolen. Police suspect the thief while there also took a joy ride around the business in a company-owned minivan.
The next theft occurred the next week. Police said that on June 25, between 300 and 400 pounds of copper, 800 pounds of brass, 12 aluminum truck wheels and other items were taken.
Troopers at the Mercer barracks recognized Crawford from the video images of him captured by a game camera set up at Kennedy Diversified.
