Tuesday, Jul 19 2011, 4:34 pm
By Julie R. Johnson and Rob Parsons/Corning Observer
Two Corning vehicles were stripped of expensive parts on Friday, leaving the Toyota's without catalytic converters.
Five Willows vehicles were also victims of auto-part thefts over the weekend, causing thousands of dollars in damage, and another was taken Monday.
All eight thefts reportedly occurred since Friday morning, according to police, and all eight vehicles were raised Toyota pickups and Four-Runners.
No arrests have been made, but investigations in both towns are still in the early stages.
"Residents and neighbors should try to help look out for each other and report any and all suspicious activity as quickly as possible," said Willows police Chief William Spears said.
Thieves seem to have targeted catalytic converters in raised Toyota pickup trucks and Four-Runners parked on the north side of town in Willows, either on the street or in a driveway, and in Corning on Edith Avenue in the Spring Mountain Apartment complex parking lot and on North Street.
Spears said thieves are able to quickly crawl beneath a raised vehicle and remove the catalytic converters in a matter of minutes.
Insurance companies have reported major spikes in catalytic converter thefts nationwide, especially over the last year.
Authorities said the part contains several pricey metals - rhodium, palladium and platinum - that can be melted down and sold on the black market.
Each converter can fetch up to a $150 at scrap yards, according Nationwide Insurance Company, which reported each part can cost the vehicle's owner as much as $2,000 to replace.
Police acknowledged similarities between this weekend's theft spike and a series of similar heists around northern Glenn County and Chico, but said it is too early to know if there are any connections.
Last month, the California Highway Patrol raided five locations in Willows they said were part of an organized vehicle theft ring, but no arrests were made.
CHP Sgt. Annie Garcia said Monday her office expects to file criminal charges against several suspects in the theft ring as early as next week.
Spears said it is still too early to know if that reported theft ring is connected in any way to this weekend's activity.
"We don't have enough information to know one way or the other at this time," Spears said.
However, the man police have identified as the suspected ring leader, Cheng Yang, is listed as one of the victims of this weekend's crime spike in Willows. Yang's family reported the theft Friday morning from a family vehicle parked in front of their home in the 1200 block of Green Street.
Spears said Monday that Yang is not considered a suspect in any of the reports from over the weekend.
Aside from locking your car in a garage at night, police advise residents to have their license plate numbers engraved on key car parts like the catalytic converter.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Corning Police Department at 824-7000.
http://www.corning-observer.com/news/willows-10140-police-weekend.html
Topic: Auto part thefts in Corning, Willows (Read 390 times)